Exports on the rise
According to the Dak Lak Department of Industry and Trade, in 2024, the province's export turnover will reach more than 1.8 billion USD, an increase of 23.9% over the same period in 2023, leading the Central Highlands region.
Of which, export output includes 241,000 tons of coffee, 40,000 tons of pepper, 46,500 tons of cashew. Average export price: pepper 5,000 USD/ton, coffee 3,600 USD/ton, cashew 5,200 USD/ton.
Mr. Luu Van Khoi - Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Dak Lak province - informed that in 2024, local export activities had many breakthroughs, the reason being that the prices of some agricultural export products reached quite high levels.
According to Mr. Khoi, this is the first time Dak Lak province has officially exported coffee and macadamia nuts to the US and South Korean markets. These markets have strict requirements on import standards.
In 2025, the provincial Department of Industry and Trade strives to achieve export turnover of 1.7 million USD.
The key to sustainable exports
According to research, most businesses in Dak Lak province are focusing on raw production and selling raw agricultural products.
The deep processing of agricultural products has only reached 15% of the total product value, so it has not met expectations.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Vien - Director of PM Coffee Company Limited (Dak Lak province) said that in addition to exporting raw coffee to the Middle East market, the company is researching the processing of tea husks and wine from coffee... These are all deeply processed products that require investment in expensive equipment.
"The company spent billions of dong to make coffee wine and luckily received positive reviews from the Japanese market," said Mr. Vien.
Mr. Nguyen Hoai Duong - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dak Lak province commented: "The locality has advantages in producing diverse agricultural products. In particular, coffee and durian have great potential in applying deep processing methods to increase value".
According to Mr. Duong, implementing deep processing projects for agricultural products will help connect closely with raw material areas, creating more jobs. From there, it will improve workers' income, reduce unemployment and open up opportunities for the development of supporting industries.
Furthermore, deep processing of agricultural products also helps to increase the competitiveness of the province's products. Processed products with high characteristics help increase the opportunity to capture the market and build a brand.
"When agricultural products meet the demand in both quantity and quality, the added value will reach its maximum level, contributing to increasing the local export value," Mr. Duong added.
According to the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee, in 2025, the locality will focus on attracting investment in 36 key projects. Of these, 8 projects are in the fields of agriculture and processing of agricultural products.
For example, the project of a factory processing frozen and canned products for export such as avocado, durian, jackfruit... in Ea H'leo district has a total investment of about 50 billion VND.
When operational, this project will produce from 10,000 to 20,000 tons of finished agricultural products each year.
