Typhoon Noru made landfall in Vietnam on Wednesday, forcing more than 800,000 people to evacuate, and bringing heavy rains to the country’s coffee belt in the Central Highlands.
Noru threatens to delay the harvest in the world’s second-biggest coffee producer and the biggest Robusta supplier for one to two weeks, according to Tran Thi Lan Anh, Deputy Director of coffee exporter Vinh Hiep Co., based in Gia Lai province.
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She had hoped that the harvest would otherwise begin in mid-October. Generally, the harvest in Vietnam lasts from October to January/February, with the first shipments arriving in April.
Dang Van Chien, director of the Dak Lak province’s weather forecasting centre, said that Kon Tum and Gia Lai provinces were forecast to receive 300 to 500 millimetres of rain each within five days and as much as 600 millimetres in some places.
Other parts of Dak Lak and Dak Nong provinces were predicted to receive 150 to 250 millimetres of rain each, while Lam Dong province would likely get 80 to 150 millimetres of rain. Other more low-lying areas such as Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Lam Dong were forecast to experience temporary floods due to downpours.
Since mid-summer, Robusta prices have been rising. This has partly been due to droughts in Brazil, where production has slightly declined. If Noru delays the Vietnamese harvest, the prices will continue to increase.
The typhoon’s wind reached speeds of 183 kilometres per hour, one of the strongest storms to hit the country in 20 years. It crossed Vietnam and later passed by Thailand in a slightly weakened state. Prior to that, Noru caused at least eight deaths and widespread flooding in the Philippines.
The Vietnamese government ordered the evacuation to save as many lives and assets as possible. The typhoon has caused airports in Vietnam to close and travel to be disrupted. Around 270,000 military personnel were put on standby, the government announced.
Photo from Vietnam’s National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting
