Along with falling productivity and low coffee prices, coffee growers in Kon Tum are facing another difficulty: the shortage of labor to harvest coffee.
It took nearly 5 days to find workers in the “labor market” to collect coffee on Ho Chi Minh road, the crossroads in hamlet 5, Ha Mon commune, Mr. Truong Duc Suc, residential house in Quarter 2A, Dak Ha district. have yet to hire any workers.
Mr. Suc said, last year's coffee harvest was difficult to hire workers, this year is even more difficult: “Coffee is 70, 80% ripe but labor workers are too few. The more coffee growers have, the harder it is to hire labor. Coffee this year again crop failure, devaluation. “
Due to seasonal characteristics plus labor scarcity, many coffee garden owners in Dak Ha district, Kon Tum province are being “employed” by workers. Van Thi Hoai, a resident of Village 5, Dak Mar Commune, was bored, looking for people to work in the “labor market” for a week without any group agreeing while the family's 1ha coffee was ripe on the tree.
“I'm waiting here every morning. Having found a picker, they refuse. They demand high prices, require accommodation, homes with radios, utilities and utilities. If they like it, if they do not like it then they will come back ”, Ms. Hoai said.
Although frustrating in his heart, the coffee garden owners in Dak Ha district, Kon Tum province still have to gently indulge their employees. Along with the rent collected for each quintal of 80-90,000 dong of fresh coffee, the gardening owner also has to feast on rice, have “refreshing wine” after each working day and support for petrol and gas for laborers.
Some labor groups also require homeowners to install wifi for entertainment and social networking needs.
Mr. Doan Van Binh, Deputy Director of Dak Uy Coffee Company, headquartered in Ha Mon commune, Dak Ha district, enterprises with nearly 400ha of coffee said: “Due to this seasonality, people come to pick for us. People also pressured prices.
At the beginning of the season, there were 75,000 VND a quintal but now 80,000 VND, then 90,000 VND, pressed up 100,000 VND. Do not raise their prices elsewhere. In seasonal situations, people are forced to indulge in people picking coffee for themselves. ”
As a key coffee production area of Kon Tum province, with more than 9,000ha of coffee being traded, this year's crop of Dak Ha district needs thousands of workers to harvest fruits.
According to the local authorities and coffee growers, the cause of labor shortage in this year's crop is due to the decrease in labor force from some northern provinces, or from Quang Nam and Quang Ngai. strong.
Meanwhile, local labor resources are also scarce because in recent years, local labor has been engaged in factories, factories and other industries.
