For weeks, farmers have joined forces with police and local security teams in Gia Lai to protect coffee plantations from theft. During the harvest season, they have installed surveillance cameras, built watch huts, formed security groups and taken turns patrolling overnight.
Le Van Thai, 40, who lives in Ia Grai Commune, owns 800 coffee trees. He said coffee prices had ranged from VND 90,000 to VND 110,000 (USD 3.46 - USD 4.23) per kilo over the past three years, raising farmers' concerns about theft.
As this year's crop has ripened early, Thai and his wife have been picking the mature beans as soon as possible. At night, he often walks around the plantation with a torch to check the trees and guard against thieves.
"Security in this area is fairly good, so coffee theft is uncommon. However, my family takes precautions and regularly checks the entire plantation, especially when the coffee is ripening in large quantities," Thai said.
Farmers pick early-ripening coffee cherries (Photo: Pham Hoang).
Hoang Quoc Viet, 51, from Ia Hrung Commune, is contracted to manage and care for two hectares of coffee belonging to Ia Sao 2 Coffee Company. For several weeks, he has been part of the company's security team, helping patrol a coffee-growing area of more than 100 hectares.
Viet said most coffee farms in the area were managed by local households under contracts with the company. During the harvest season, these households contribute money to establish security teams, which work with police and grassroots security personnel to patrol the plantations.
With coffee prices high, some people are keeping an eye on plantations for opportunities to steal, he said. Security teams therefore closely monitor areas with large coffee-growing plots and promptly report anyone behaving suspiciously.
"Dedicated security personnel patrol regularly but vary their schedules so that thieves cannot work out a pattern. Farmers also coordinate with one another while harvesting, protecting neighbouring plantations," Viet said.
Tents are erected and cameras installed to protect the plantations (Photo: Pham Hoang).
Nguyen Xuan The, head of Team 4 at Ia Sao 2 Coffee Company, said the company recorded several coffee thefts each year, mostly involving small quantities. To curb the problem, it regularly forms security teams to patrol and monitor high-risk areas.
"Members of the security teams are also workers contracted to manage the company's coffee farms. Those who are busy contribute money to hire replacements to take turns patrolling overnight. The company also works with residents to set up watch huts and install cameras along isolated roads and trails to monitor passers-by," The said.
Police and residents patrol through the night to protect coffee plantations from theft (Photo: Pham Hoang).
Nguyen Manh Hung, deputy chief of Ia Hrung Commune Police, said the locality was one of Gia Lai Province's major coffee-growing areas, with nearly 7,500 hectares under cultivation. Ahead of the 2026 harvest, police have developed several plans to maintain public order and prevent agricultural produce theft.
Hung said commune police had organised four teams, each comprising 15 to 20 officers, to take turns patrolling with grassroots security personnel in villages and members of coffee company security teams. Patrols are arranged flexibly and cover local roads.
"Because the coffee-growing area is so extensive, commune police and residents have to patrol throughout the night, particularly in isolated locations. We have also asked residents to promptly register workers arriving from other localities so that authorities can monitor them and prevent offenders from blending in," Hung said.
