Because of the rains generated in Central American countries by Hurricane Eta, authorities warn that coffee plantations could be threatened by the spread of pests or diseases.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) of El Salvador issued recommendations for coffee growers to avoid the spread of diseases on their farms, such as rust fungus and anthracnose.
The government has confirmed the presence of the devouring locust in the state of nymph in the Costa Azul hamlet in the municipality of Tecoluca, department of San Vicente.
Salvadoran authorities have determined that the disease attacking citrus plantations, called Huanglongbing, could be present in crops in Santa Ana, Ahuachapán, La Libertad and La Paz.
After the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) declared a state of phytosanitary emergency on February 19, it was reported that the disease specifically attacks lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits and limes, in addition to the ornamental plant Murraya paniculata, commonly known as myrtle or jasmine.
The disease has decreased considerably in recent years, as between 2014 and October 2018 the portion of the coffee plantation affected in El Salvador decreased from 38% to 10%.
According to monthly monitoring by the National Center for Agricultural and Forestry Technology (CENTA), the country's coffee plantation, which has been one of the most affected by the disease in the region, has considerably reduced the presence of rust.
Because of the drought that is affecting several areas in Central America, in El Salvador, agricultural producers estimate that at least 6.3 million hundredweight of corn, valued at $39 million, have been lost.
Representatives from the Salvadoran Chamber of Small and Medium Agricultural Producers (Campo) said that due to the drought, which lasted up to 40 days in some areas of the country, they have lost more than 6 million hundredweight of corn, valued at $38.6 million.
In order to guarantee the supply of basic grains in the country, the Salvadoran government has signed an agreement to import 35,000 tons of white corn.
Due to the lack of rain that has affected crops in areas of the east of the country, the government signed an executive agreement between the ministries of Agriculture, Economy and Finance, to import basic grain.
Despite a reduction in the budget, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock plans to allocate $16.2 million to the purchase of agricultural products.
With the budget cut to be approved by the Legislative Assembly, the funds that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock will have available to tender agricultural packages will be $16.2 million, $1 million less than in 2016.
Maize production declined from 20.4 million hundredweight in the 2012/13 harvest to 15.6 million in the 2015/16 cycle, and yield per cultivated hectare has also declined.
In the case of beans, figures from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) show greater variability, depending on the bean and crop variety, as some have reported better results.However, bean productivity has deteriorated in recent harvests. Laprensagrafica.com reports that"... performance went from 15.1 hundredweight per hectare on average in the 2014/15 season, to 13.1 in the 2015/16 cycle."
Salvadoran coffee producers and now being called to participate in the Coffee Quality Contest of El Salvador 2016, to be held from 18 to 22 April.
After the suspension of the 2016 edition of the event known as the Cup of Excellence, due to changes in the electronic auction platform and cupping protocols, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in El Salvador and the Salvadoran Coffee Council are now inviting coffee producers and entrepreneurs to participate in the Coffee Quality Contest 2016 in El Salvador.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in El Salvador is calling for expressions of interest for the supply of fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and chemicals.
Government Purchase LPN-09-2015 El Salvador MAG-CABEI:
The government has announced the purchase of agricultural packages containing basic grains to be distributed among 400,000 subsistence farmers.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG):
The Minister of Agriculture, Orestes Ortez, announced that the government will soon start buying maize and bean seeds that are to be delivered as part of agricultural parcels, a program of vital importance in ensuring food security for Salvadoran families.
The government has pointed out that the amendments to the Law of the Salvadoran Coffee Council do not include a new tax, but rather a change in the retention rate of $0.35 per hundredweight exported.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in El Salvador (MAG):
The government of the Republic stoutly denies that it has created a new tax on coffee production and reiterates its commitment to this important economic sector, in which the 2004-2015 crop already exceeds the previous one.
A plan has started which includes the distribution of six million coffee plants as part of a recovery strategy for the sector after the attack of rust last year.
The Ministry of Agriculture informed Laprensagrafica.com that "... These six million plants may represent some 2,000 or 3,000 hectares of re-stocking of coffee in the country ..." and they will start to distribute them from 2015.
The government plans to create, using the 2014/2015 harvest, a strategic reserve of beans to try to influence the market during the season of high prices.
The proposal which emerged under the Funes administration but never came to fruition could be implemented in the next season, as announced by the Ministry of Agriculture.
"The ministry does not need a law to establish a strategic reserve of beans.
The rise in price in a market with short supply is the reason for the suspension of three months of the granting of export health certificates for the 'seda" variety of red bean.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Economy (MINEC):
Joint Action Plan to counter rising prices in beans.
In the framework of its powers and the joint action of the National Consumer Protection, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the Ministry of Economy (MINEC) and the Consumer Advocate, have activated a joint action plan which will be effective from Thursday May 15, containing dissuasive and contingent measures against the rising price of beans which has been seen in some markets in the country.