With cherries ripening simultaneously and local labor in short supply, plantation owners are paying 110,000-120,000 VND (about USD 4.30–4.70) per 100 kilograms of fresh cherries.
In Ia Phí Commune, plantation owner Nguyễn Tăng Thức said he hired six workers from Quảng Ngãi Province this year to help harvest his 1.5-hectare farm, offering 120,000 VND (USD 4.70) for every 100 kilograms picked. Laborers often work nonstop in pairs, spreading tarpaulins under the trees, filling 50–70 kilogram sacks, and hauling them hundreds of meters to collection points.
For many families, the coffee season is a crucial source of income. Nay Nha, a Jrai laborer from Tơ Nung Hamlet, travels more than 100 kilometers each year to Ia Hrung Commune.
After a storm destroyed his cassava crop, he and his wife now earn over 600,000 VND (USD 23.50) per day during the harvest. His son, Nay Tham, also picks coffee, bringing his infant child along due to a lack of childcare at home.
At another plantation, Nay Hnuin, who has worked three seasons in Ia Sao Commune, said the owner provides meals and year-end bonuses, even covering bus fare home for workers. Meanwhile, experienced picker Rah Lan Ka from Ia Rsai Commune chooses to work only within Gia Lai to stay close to family, despite higher earnings elsewhere.
The harvest also attracts laborers from outside the province. A Xiết, of the Ca Dong ethnic group in Quảng Ngãi, has spent three years picking coffee in Gia Lai, preparing meals at his temporary lodging to maximize time in the fields.
First-time picker Đinh Văn Pá from Sơn Hạ Commune traveled with his wife and two sons by motorbike through the night to reach Ia Hrung, enduring painful hands and aching backs as they adjusted to the demanding work.
Despite long hours and harsh conditions, seasonal pickers say the month-long harvest offers a vital lifeline. Their work ensures Gia Lai’s highland coffee continues its journey from mountain plantations to markets across the country.
