Quang Ngai Sugar JSC: Building Sustainable Value Chain, Supporting Local Development

Within its sustainable development strategy, Quang Ngai Sugar Joint Stock Company (QNS) continues to expand its production ecosystem toward modern, environmentally responsible operations and greater value creation. In Gia Lai, the company is developing a large-scale production cluster based on circular economy principles and sustainable raw material linkages. Through these efforts, it helps improve livelihoods and supports local economic growth.

General Director of Quang Ngai Sugar JSC Vo Thanh Dang presents support for 100 “Great Solidarity” houses worth VND6 billion

Affirming a leading position

QNS is a leading company in Vietnam’s food and beverage industry, with roots in sugar production and expansion into consumer goods processing. With a diversified model that combines agriculture and industrial processing, the company has built a strong market position while gradually expanding into international markets.

QNS operates a network of factories in Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Bac Ninh, and Ho Chi Minh City, and partners with major brands such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Vinamilk, Nutifood, and Tan Hiep Phat. Despite economic fluctuations, the company has maintained steady growth, reporting revenue of over VND11,000 billion in 2025, pre-tax profit of more than VND2,200 billion, and budget contributions exceeding VND1,000 billion.

To date, QNS has developed several well-known products in the market. Most notably, the Vinasoy brand holds over 93% of Vietnam’s boxed soy milk market, with popular product lines such as Fami and Veyo. The plant-based milk segment has also grown strongly, with a high export share and expanding presence in demanding markets such as Japan, South Korea, and the United States.

The Thach Bich mineral water brand has reached a capacity of approximately 200 million liters per year, with a strong domestic presence and exports to China and the Middle East. Meanwhile, the Dung Quat Beer Plant, with a capacity of around 100 million liters per year, continues to grow and is gradually establishing its presence in Japan, Singapore, China, and Russia through high-quality lager and craft beer lines.

In its core sugar production segment, QNS continues to deepen investment, with its raw material area reaching approximately 34,000 ha and output exceeding 2.2 million tons of sugarcane annually. The company is also advancing circular economy practices through the An Khe biomass power plant, using bagasse byproducts. In 2025, the plant generated around 212 million kWh of electricity, of which more than 170 million kWh was supplied to the national grid, with the remainder serving production operations.

With stable business performance, QNS currently provides regular employment for more than 4,000 workers, with an average income of nearly VND15 million per person per month.

Through sustained efforts in recent years, QNS has consistently been recognized in reputable rankings, including Top 50 Sustainable Businesses, Top 10 ESG Leaders in Food & Beverage, and Top 25 Leading Listed Company Brands. Its green development direction will continue in the coming period through investment in new technologies, expansion of raw material areas, and improvements in product quality, along with deeper participation in global value chains.

After more than 25 years, the An Khe Sugar Plant has supported local economic development 

Building a sustainable value chain

In Gia Lai province, the An Khe Sugar Plant serves as a key production hub for QNS and the core of a large-scale sugar industry cluster. The plant currently processes 18,000 tons of sugarcane per day, the largest capacity in the country, and is being expanded to reach 25,000 tons per day.

Beyond expanding scale, QNS’s development strategy in Gia Lai focuses on building a closed-loop value chain. In An Khe, sugarcane is no longer just a raw material for sugar production but has become the center of a multi-layered production ecosystem connecting agriculture, processing industries, renewable energy, and bio-based products.

The An Khe Sugar Plant currently employs around 1,000 direct workers, with an average income of approximately VND15 million per person per month, while also creating indirect employment for about 15,000 households within the production chain.

In 2025, the plant recorded revenue of nearly VND5,000 billion and contributed close to VND200 billion to the local budget, making it one of Gia Lai province’s major taxpayers. It also supports the growth of services, transportation, trade, and the restructuring of the local economy.

Alongside production, QNS and the An Khe Sugar Plant place strong focus on social responsibility. The company is implementing various social programs, including a plan to build 100 charity houses for disadvantaged households in raw material areas over the three-year period from 2026 to 2028.

Nguyen Van Hao, Deputy Director of the An Khe Sugar Plant, said that in the coming phase, QNS will continue to carry out a series of large-scale projects in An Khe with total investment of approximately VND4,000 billion. The focus includes expanding the An Khe Sugar Plant’s capacity to 25,000 tons of sugarcane per day, along with developing the raw material area to around 40,000 ha, with expected output of 3.2-3.5 million tons of sugarcane annually.

In addition, the project to increase the biomass power plant’s capacity to 135MW is underway, improving the use of byproducts while supporting energy self-sufficiency, reducing costs, and limiting environmental impact. At the same time, a new ethanol plant project with a capacity of approximately 200,000 liters per day is being prepared, adding a new part to the production chain with products such as biofuel, food-grade alcohol, liquid CO₂, and byproducts for animal feed.

“Through ongoing and upcoming projects, QNS is forming an integrated sugarcane, sugar, power, and ethanol complex in An Khe, creating a foundation for sustainable development across the agriculture, industry, and energy value chain. This strategy not only improves operational efficiency and increases the value of sugarcane but also reflects our commitment to circular economic development, working alongside Gia Lai to achieve green growth and sustainable development goals,” said Nguyen Van Hao.

By Viet Vuong, Vietnam Business Forum