Lam Dong launches Agricultural Commodity Forum

The forum creates a regular exchange channel between the State, businesses, cooperatives, producers and partners in agricultural commodity sectors.

The Lam Dong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, in coordination with the Ministry-level iLandscape Project Management Board, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and relevant units, has just organized a workshop to launch the provincial Agricultural Commodity Forum. This aims to establish a multi-stakeholder dialogue and coordination mechanism, promote commodity value chain development, and mobilize resources for sustainable agricultural development.

The forum aims to create a regular exchange channel among the State, businesses, cooperatives, producers, and partners, identify bottlenecks, assign focal points, and accelerate issue resolution. Simultaneously, it serves as a hub to connect public-private resources, projects, and financial sources in the agricultural commodity sector, while identifying priority issues in the development of each commodity.

The Lam Dong Agricultural Commodity Forum will focus on four potential local commodities, including coffee, pepper, durian, and macadamia.

For the 2026 - 2027 period, priority contents for coffee include completing raw material area data, enhancing traceability, supporting adaptation to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), improving the quality of preliminary processing and preservation, and strengthening consumption linkages.

Among these, plans include a thematic dialogue session and 2 - 3 training classes to disseminate EUDR information to farming households and cooperatives; and a dialogue session on connectivity, a list of cooperation needs, linkage opportunities, or agreements between businesses, cooperatives, and raw material areas.

For pepper, the sector's focus is on integrated pest management (IPM), responsible use of input materials, residue and food safety control, post-harvest quality, and market linkages.

Specifically, there will be a thematic dialogue session and 2 - 3 training classes disseminating pepper IPM to farming households and cooperatives; a connection session between businesses, cooperatives, and raw material areas; and 1 - 2 training classes and field trips to outstanding models to guide standard-quality preliminary processing and product preservation.

For durian and macadamia, the parties will continue to identify focal points and appropriate priorities regarding planting area governance, varieties, techniques, processing, and markets.

At the workshop, Mr. Vu Thai Truong, Head of the Climate Change, Environment and Energy Unit at UNDP in Viet Nam, stated that the Forum's value lies not in the number of meetings or events organized, but in its ability to turn dialogues into actions, commitments into cooperation, and cooperation into investments.

"Success must be measured by concrete results, from investment opportunities and formed cooperation models to expanding sustainable production, enhancing market access, and creating practical benefits for citizens, businesses, and the locality", Mr. Truong asserted.

Meanwhile, Mr. Vu Dinh Cuong, Deputy Director of the Lam Dong Department of Agriculture and Environment, expected that the Department will continue to receive close coordination from departments, branches, and localities; the proactiveness of associations, businesses, cooperatives, and producers; and the companionship of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, UNDP, SNV, IDH, and partners in the Forum's implementation activities.

At the workshop, Lam Dong province announced Decision No. 3666/QD-UBND dated July 22, 2026, by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and launched the Coordination Board of the Lam Dong Agricultural Commodity Forum.

Hong Ngoc