**6. Process of coffee commercialization**

### **6.1 Coffee plantation**

The plantation is the primary process of coffee commercialization that provides various methods to grow coffee. There are three types of coffee plantation including planting with seeds, planting to cut the top, and planting to prune and every method depends on the size of seeds depends on the geographical area, the elevation, and the climate of the planting areas. The first method of coffee plantation, planting with seeds is applied with a limited of land, this technique is widely adapted because it takes only a year to growth, with a simple of nurturing and fertilizing. Hence, this technique concerns different preparation step before the plantation, including soil, seed, and fertilizer. In many cases, farmers mixed between soil and manure as a basement of the plant.

Planting to prune is another method mostly used in the lowland areas with dry weather. In most case, the coffee plant can be easily damaged. For the small coffee tree, it will grow only if the branches break to the top as needed. Nurturing is quite tricky for this planting method due to pests and weeds. However, if the coffee tree gains a bigger size with great roots, soil, and watering condition, the branches can grow easily. The third coffee planting method, the planting to cut the top is suitable for the planting areas located on high altitude over 900 m above sea level,, due to the plateau areas cover with less sunlight and benefit from rains for watering condition. Arabica is the most popular beans growing in the plateau areas; however, the cutting or pruning technique requires expertise and experience because this method required to prune only one branch at the top. This method seems to be mostly used in the Bolaven Plateau when the geography is profitable. Nurturing and fertilizing are simple for this planting method.

#### **6.2 Nurturing**

The process of nurturing coffee plant depends on the planting method, where planting to prune is the most difficult for nurturing due to pest and weeds. The common nurturing techniques are related to six steps including planting season, watering condition, coffee stem covering, weeds and prevention, fertilizer, and

**103**

dried, and damaged.

**6.3 Harvesting**

*Coffee Commercialization in the Bolaven Plateau in the Southern of Lao PDR*

coffee pruning. The first step is to select planting season. The best season for growing coffee plant is rainy season starting from May to June in order to reduce watering condition for seedlings. However, without the rains, it is required to water the plants about 10 days before covering the plant with dry straw for maintaining soil moisture, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming. The next step is watering of the tree. Watering the coffee plant should not be overwatering. The new coffee plant is required a limited amount of water to help for sitting up; therefore, planting coffee during rainy season is the best method for nurturing. Without watering, the coffee plant can be easily damaged because nutrition relies on water to dissolve. The study found that farmers only relies on rainfall for watering condition. Coffee stem covering: there are many types of materials used for stem covering, including Napier grass. When Napier grass damaged, it produced a large amount of nitrogen, which is useful for coffee. However, in Laos, straw is widely used, replacing napier grass to reduce the cost as well. Covering the stem, a third step, of the coffee plant should be 10–20 cm away from the plant for preventing some pests or insects. With 1-m width and greater than 10 cm of thickness will help for maintaining the soil moisture. The study found that the limitation of using stem covering, as farmer only used dry straw and grass, and some areas also experienced less rainfall in a year (6–8 months or less) as a result

The weeds and prevention, a fourth step of coffee plantation is to get rid of weeds, farmers are sometime using shovel, knife, or cutting. However, the most used to deal with this problem is chemical or pesticide with the exception of the coffee farm of coffee producer cooperative (CPC) which has strict control of chemical to meet the criteria of the organic certified product. Diuron is one type

Another option for the farmer is pesticide spray, where farmer has to spray 50 cm away from the plant in order to save the coffee plant. The study showed that farmers, particularly the CPC members are more likely to use natural method such as knife and shovel to deal with weeds and pest instead of spraying pesticide or chemical. Household labors are more likely to engage in this process more than another process. Fertilizer is one of the most important step of coffee nurturing. To fertilize the coffee plant, it is required to make the hole around the coffee plant about 5 cm in depth and mainly use the radius of the canopy of the plant and cover the soil with dry straw. Fertilizing in the first to the third year will be much effective. Manure is the best fertilizer used with the proportion of 100–350 grams per time, fertilize three times a year during these consecutive years. Thus, the study noted that 42.46% of coffee producer used organic fertilizer, the coffee shell, and manure. On the other hand, the other 57.54% do not use organic fertilizer at all

Coffee pruning is a last important step of coffee nurturing. The productivity of coffee depends on pruning. Without pruning step, the coffee plant can produce a large number of beans, but the year after the production and quality will be decreased because the roots, stem, and branches are already used to produce the seeds. The study recognized that most coffee producers avoid the pruning step as a result of unstable productivity, plenty of older coffee plant were left behind, some

Harvesting is an important process of coffee commercialization to add value to the coffee product and preparation for commercialization. As usual, the coffee cherries will begin to ripen in about November until April. To collect or harvest the

of cultivated land.

of pest control, which farmers used only 200 g for 400 m<sup>2</sup>

because they take only red cherry beans [50].

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90105*

of lowering the productivity.

#### *Coffee Commercialization in the Bolaven Plateau in the Southern of Lao PDR DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90105*

*Coffee - Production and Research*

producer).

peak season.

**6.1 Coffee plantation**

**6. Process of coffee commercialization**

between soil and manure as a basement of the plant.

fertilizing are simple for this planting method.

mobility is the cycle of the temporary and permanent worker during the farming season. The temporary worker based on payment as known for wage employment usually increased in the farming season. Whereas, permanent worker based on types of work, in a small farm producer or a large company is small proportion. Therefore, the rate of permanent employment relied on the size of the land (for small farm producer) and the payment or benefits (for the large company

Seasonal farmworkers were mainly migrated from nearby provinces, districts, and villages who come for different farm works including coffee tree plantation, fertilizing, clearing, and harvesting. The major account of the farm employment was general/clearing weeds (28.2%) and followed by harvest only (16.9%) [50]. However, many types of work are required to be done by wage labors from the same village, including planting seed and weeding, whereas some processes are required to be done by wage labor migrated from nearby village or district, specifically during the harvesting season. Furthermore, during the harvest season, the rate of wage labor slightly increased because labor demand is high during the

The plantation is the primary process of coffee commercialization that provides various methods to grow coffee. There are three types of coffee plantation including planting with seeds, planting to cut the top, and planting to prune and every method depends on the size of seeds depends on the geographical area, the elevation, and the climate of the planting areas. The first method of coffee plantation, planting with seeds is applied with a limited of land, this technique is widely adapted because it takes only a year to growth, with a simple of nurturing and fertilizing. Hence, this technique concerns different preparation step before the plantation, including soil, seed, and fertilizer. In many cases, farmers mixed

Planting to prune is another method mostly used in the lowland areas with dry weather. In most case, the coffee plant can be easily damaged. For the small coffee tree, it will grow only if the branches break to the top as needed. Nurturing is quite tricky for this planting method due to pests and weeds. However, if the coffee tree gains a bigger size with great roots, soil, and watering condition, the branches can grow easily. The third coffee planting method, the planting to cut the top is suitable for the planting areas located on high altitude over 900 m above sea level,, due to the plateau areas cover with less sunlight and benefit from rains for watering condition. Arabica is the most popular beans growing in the plateau areas; however, the cutting or pruning technique requires expertise and experience because this method required to prune only one branch at the top. This method seems to be mostly used in the Bolaven Plateau when the geography is profitable. Nurturing and

The process of nurturing coffee plant depends on the planting method, where planting to prune is the most difficult for nurturing due to pest and weeds. The common nurturing techniques are related to six steps including planting season, watering condition, coffee stem covering, weeds and prevention, fertilizer, and

**102**

**6.2 Nurturing**

coffee pruning. The first step is to select planting season. The best season for growing coffee plant is rainy season starting from May to June in order to reduce watering condition for seedlings. However, without the rains, it is required to water the plants about 10 days before covering the plant with dry straw for maintaining soil moisture, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming. The next step is watering of the tree. Watering the coffee plant should not be overwatering. The new coffee plant is required a limited amount of water to help for sitting up; therefore, planting coffee during rainy season is the best method for nurturing. Without watering, the coffee plant can be easily damaged because nutrition relies on water to dissolve. The study found that farmers only relies on rainfall for watering condition. Coffee stem covering: there are many types of materials used for stem covering, including Napier grass. When Napier grass damaged, it produced a large amount of nitrogen, which is useful for coffee. However, in Laos, straw is widely used, replacing napier grass to reduce the cost as well. Covering the stem, a third step, of the coffee plant should be 10–20 cm away from the plant for preventing some pests or insects. With 1-m width and greater than 10 cm of thickness will help for maintaining the soil moisture. The study found that the limitation of using stem covering, as farmer only used dry straw and grass, and some areas also experienced less rainfall in a year (6–8 months or less) as a result of lowering the productivity.

The weeds and prevention, a fourth step of coffee plantation is to get rid of weeds, farmers are sometime using shovel, knife, or cutting. However, the most used to deal with this problem is chemical or pesticide with the exception of the coffee farm of coffee producer cooperative (CPC) which has strict control of chemical to meet the criteria of the organic certified product. Diuron is one type of pest control, which farmers used only 200 g for 400 m<sup>2</sup> of cultivated land. Another option for the farmer is pesticide spray, where farmer has to spray 50 cm away from the plant in order to save the coffee plant. The study showed that farmers, particularly the CPC members are more likely to use natural method such as knife and shovel to deal with weeds and pest instead of spraying pesticide or chemical. Household labors are more likely to engage in this process more than another process. Fertilizer is one of the most important step of coffee nurturing. To fertilize the coffee plant, it is required to make the hole around the coffee plant about 5 cm in depth and mainly use the radius of the canopy of the plant and cover the soil with dry straw. Fertilizing in the first to the third year will be much effective. Manure is the best fertilizer used with the proportion of 100–350 grams per time, fertilize three times a year during these consecutive years. Thus, the study noted that 42.46% of coffee producer used organic fertilizer, the coffee shell, and manure. On the other hand, the other 57.54% do not use organic fertilizer at all because they take only red cherry beans [50].

Coffee pruning is a last important step of coffee nurturing. The productivity of coffee depends on pruning. Without pruning step, the coffee plant can produce a large number of beans, but the year after the production and quality will be decreased because the roots, stem, and branches are already used to produce the seeds. The study recognized that most coffee producers avoid the pruning step as a result of unstable productivity, plenty of older coffee plant were left behind, some dried, and damaged.

### **6.3 Harvesting**

Harvesting is an important process of coffee commercialization to add value to the coffee product and preparation for commercialization. As usual, the coffee cherries will begin to ripen in about November until April. To collect or harvest the

**Figure 1.**

*Coffee marketing process (Illustrated by authors).*

best quality of coffee beans, it is to collect the ripened beans in the shade of orange to red. Green coffee beans should be avoided due to poor quality. By using large baskets tidying on the waist or hanged to the neck before, store it into the sack. This step is time-consuming, collecting coffee beans will need to collecting continuously about 3–4 times with a distance of about 20 days because the beans are ripened differently.

Post-harvest processing prepares important step to marketing. Most of the coffee beans particularly Arabica are sold in red bean after picking at the farmgate by the farmers. Processing of the red bean to dried one need facility including machine, that means another capital investment for this facility. The farmers who cannot afford this technique, thus prefers to sell red been. The CPC member groups have the opportunities to process the red bean before marketing at the processing houses. The processing of the red bean provides important procedure for the farmers to involve with difference commercialization process and have higher value added.
