From July 27th to 30th, the XXIV International Tasting The Best of Panama will take place virtually, in which 45 producers registered a total of 161 specialty coffee lots.
Laestrella.com.pa reviews that "... The Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP) has completed the registration process and as of June 15 will receive 24,150 pounds of the world's most coveted coffee, which has been carefully selected by producers.
In the department of El Paraíso, a high-tech plant was inaugurated that will be dedicated to the production and processing of coffee products and specialty coffees.
The plant is located in Teupasenti and is called BioFortune. A $1 million investment was required and it has controlled fermentation and dehydration equipment.
During the first six months of 2019, coffee exports from Central American countries totaled $1.782 million, 8% less than what was reported for the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics"]
On March 26 and 27, 2020, the "Producer & Roaster Forum" will be held in Copán Honduras, an event in which at least 100 international coffee buyers will participate and business deals for nearly $10 million are projected to be closed.
The organization of the event reported that the plan is to promote the six coffee regions of the country and that since mid-2019 is working with producers to make filters of the coffees that will be presented at the event.
The increase to $135 of the international price of the quintal is promising for the coffee sector, since in recent years producers have gone through severe crises because of the fall in the price of the grain.
According to figures from Bloomberg Markets, between mid-November and the first week of December the price of a quintal of coffee at the international level registered an important upturn, going from $100 to $135.
Natural or legal persons who wish to register as exporters with the Honduran Coffee Institute will no longer have to comply with the requirement to prove a minimum share capital of $1 million.
Directors of the Honduran Coffee Institute (Ihcafe) reported that the market commission had been managing the proposal since 2018, which was already approved by the National Coffee Council (Conacafé).
During the first three months of the year, coffee exports from Central American countries totaled $747 million, 17% less than what was reported for the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
In markets such as North America and Western Europe, a consumer segment wants the grain to meet aspects such as ethical and sustainable sourcing, and its production process to be certified.
According to the study "Trends and Opportunities for value-added coffee exports" conducted by the Differentiated Coffees Committee of AGEXPORT, reveals how to change the strategies for marketing good quality coffee with higher value added (roasted), for the next coffee harvest of 2,019 - 2,020 and those to come.
In Honduras, a temporary provision was approved so that producers who have been affected by climatic factors, pests, prices or general market conditions can adjust their debts.
The measure that will be in force until December 31, 2019, contemplates the refinancing and adaptation of the loans that coffee producers and/or traders have with the institutions supervised by the National Commission of Banks and Insurance (CNBS).
Last year, the main regional crop sold abroad was coffee, with $2.671 million, followed by banana, with $2.594 million, pineapple, with $1.097 million and sugar, with $722 million.
Data from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralamericaData:
The main coffee export destinations were the U.S., Germany, Belgium, Italy, Japan and Canada, which together represent 70% of the volume exported by the region, equivalent to approximately $2,050 million. [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"]
In Honduras, the government announced that it will provide coffee growers with 10-year loans and a 10% interest rate, with a three-year grace period.
In the announcement made by President Juan Orlando Hernandez and the head of the Honduran Bank for Production and Housing (Banhprovi), Mayra Falck, it was specified that the maximum amount of credits for working capital will be $83,000.
By analyzing the behavior of the global market, it is established that Holland, Switzerland and Germany are willing to pay a higher price for a distinctive cup of coffee.
Between the Committee of Distinguished Coffees of the guild of exporters of Guatemala and the European Union, they carried out the study called "Trends and Opportunities of exportation of coffee with added value", in which the price of coffee in 77 cities of the world was compared.
Because of a drop in the price of the grain, during the first eight months of the 2018-2019 harvest Honduran coffee sales abroad totaled $673 million, 14% less than what was reported in the same period of the 2017-2018 cycle.
According to figures from the Honduran Coffee Institute (Ihcafe) between the first eight months of the 2017-2018 harvest, which runs from October 2017 to May 2018, and the same period of the 2018-2019 season, sales and exported volume decreased from $786 million to $673 million, and from 6.4 million to 6.3 million, respectively.
While producers in El Salvador predict that the local crop could be extinct in the next two years because of falling international prices, other countries in the region place grain at more favorable prices.
Each country's realities are different, as there are several differences that are reflected in the amounts exported and in the average prices at which the grain sells abroad.