“IFC’s ongoing co-operation with ECOM shows how we can maximize development impact by supporting large number of smallholders.” Said Simon Andrews, IFC Regional Manager for Viet Nam, Cambodia and Thailand.

The center will train Vietnamese coffee farmers to meet international certification standards, improve the sustainability and productivity of crops, and increase their earnings. It is part of a larger plan for the IFC to provide investment and advisory services to help ECOM Group, a global coffee trader, establish several farmer training centers.

The plan includes a US$55 million, five-year corporate loan facility for use in six countries, including Vietnam, which was committed in June 2008.

The new training center, which will target 4000 farmer households over three years, will help smallholder farmers quality for sustainable coffee certifications like Utz, Rainforest, or 4C.