Gia Lai Province, Vietnam - Recent

Storyline:
The El-Nino caused high temperatures and reduced rainfall has severely impacted Vietnam's coffee farming and looms to decrease its output drastically this year.

Coffee farmers of the world's second-largest coffee exporter have expanded their planting areas with rising international coffee prices in recent years. But the extreme weather has dealt them a heavy blow.

In Gia Lai Province, a major coffee producer in Vietnam, numerous local farmers are upset by the ongoing drought.

Currently, local farmers are only able to increase irrigation to mitigate the impact of extreme weather on the coffee production, with little effect. Meteorologists noted that Vietnamese coffee strains are sensitive to temperatures and highly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions.

The drought in Vietnam has also affected the production of peppers, avocados, and durians in Gia Lai.

Shotlist:
Gia Lai Province, Vietnam - Recent:
1. Plantation;
2. Water pipe for irrigation;
3. SOUNDBITE (Vietnamese) Nguyen Van Hoa, coffee farmer (ending with shot 4):
"Because of the drought and little rain this year, the coffee production is likely to drop by about 30 percent from normal years. My coffee plantation usually produces six tons of coffee beans each year, sometimes even eight tons. But this year it might be only four to five tons.";
4. Various of coffee cherries, leaves; coffee farmer working;
5. SOUNDBITE (Vietnamese) Le Duc Nien, coffee farmer:
"The coffee output this year could decline by about 40 percent, possibly even more.";
6. Various of farmer working;
7. Coffee trees;
8. SOUNDBITE (Vietnamese) Truong Ba Kien, Vietnamese meteorologist (ending with shots 9-10):
"Coffee trees are highly sensitive to temperatures. They grow best only at temperatures ranging from 24 to 28 degrees Celsius. When the temperatures go up, the yields will go down, compromising the quality of coffee flowers and beans. And at higher temperatures, pests and diseases are easy to spread.";
9. Coffee plantation;
10. Various of yellowed leaves, leaves with pest damage;
11. SOUNDBITE (Vietnamese) Do Xuan Hien, office director, Vietnam Coffee-Cocoa Association (ending with shot 12):
"Coffee trees in Vietnam are dominantly Robusta, a type of coffee trees that need a lot of water. The scarcity of water and rain in the recent time has severely impacted Vietnam's coffee industry.";
12. Various of coffee trees;
13. Durian tree, durians;
14. Crop tree.

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