Does Vietnam need to be a part of a ‘coffee cartel’ to increase the value of its coffee exports?

Major coffee producers in the Global South should band together to form a ‘coffee cartel’ something like what OPEC is for major oil-producing countries, according to an op-ed by Keun Lee, an economics professor at Seoul National University. Essentially, Lee argues that Global South producers should band together, consolidate small-scale farming operations, and then manipulate the coffee price. He says this would work to counter high processed coffee import tariffs in developed countries and encourage the development of local processing industries. It should be noted, however, that Vietnam has signed onto a number of free trade deals–including the EVFTA, UKFTA, and CPTPP–that will see tariffs on most items, including processed coffee removed altogether or substantially reduced.