In Costa Rica, twelve farms are now using experimental technology to reduce the cost of weed control from approximately $250 per hectare to $50.
Through the use of small tractors or modified motorcycles which have arms attached to them to perform fumigation, atomization, weed control and fertilization tasks at an early stage, Costa Rica is managing to reduce labor costs in coffee plantations.For example, "... it is estimated that the time it takes to atomize one hectare, for example, can be reduced from the current day and a half to barely an hour."
A sample of the grain from a farm in the municipality of Acatenango obtained the highest price in the online auction known as the Coffee Excellence Cup in Guatemala.
Angel-in-us Coffee and Maruyama Coffee Co. yesterday bought the two lots of high-quality Pacamara coffee produced in the municipality of Acatenango by the El Paraxaj estate. In the Excellence Cup online auction, the highest price was $58 per pound and the second highest was quoted at $53.41.
In the 2015/2016 cycle, grain production was 14.7 hundredweight per manzana (6,961 m2), above the 12.7 hundredweight per manzana produced in the previous cycle.
The improvement in productivity was due in part to a 9% increase in the harvested areain the period 2015/2016 compared to the previous cycle.The harvested area in 2015/16 amounted to 163,900 manzanas, above the 149,800 manzanas registered in the 2014/15 cycle.
A warning has been given that changes in the climatic conditions during the next two months will encourage an increase of the presence of the fungus in all coffee locations in the country.
From a statement issued by the Coffee Institute:
According to experts from the Costa Rican Coffee Institute, ICAFE, the current variations in the behavior of atmospheric conditions presents a high level of risk and encourages an increase of Rust in all of the coffee locations in the country.
Production in April amounted to 834 thousand bags of 60 kilos, 20% less than production in the same month in the previous harvest, when 1.04 million bags were recorded.
Larepublica.co reports that"...The reason for the fall in production last month, according to the National Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), could be a delay in the blooms responsible for the harvest in the first half of the year.On the other hand, production for the current year was 4.4 million bags an increase of 4.8% compared to production in the same period in 2016."
In March the growth in inventories in most varieties reinforces the fact that the market lacks any clear signals of a reverse in the current downward trend.
From the monthly report by the International Coffee Organization (ICO):
In March, the ICO composite indicator price fell slightly. While Robustas remained broadly stable, Arabica prices were under pressure.
Although incidence of the disease has decreased in several regions as a result of the dry season, the environmental threat in Turrialba and localities of Orosí, San Vito, Sabalito, Puriscal and San Lorenzo de Tarrazú remains high.
From a report by the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica:
The high environmental threat persists because of an increase of the incidence of Rust in the Turrialba region and in localities of Orosí, San Vito, Sabalito, Puriscal and San Lorenzo de Tarrazú, for which preventive control of the disease must be initiated in these localities.
Climate and the biannual cyclic behavior explain the reduction in the 2016/2017 harvest compared to the previous one, going from 2.23 million bags of 46 kilos to 1.89 million.
Although in respect to the 2015/16 harvest, the numbers were down 15%, the final result from coffee production was 6.4% higher than what had been estimated in October 2015.
A reduction has been projected of between 10% and 15% in the 2017/18 harvest due to the effects of drought and frost in different production areas in the country.
The projections are the result of an assessment carried out by the technical department of the National Coffee Association (Anacafe) in different parts of the country.For the 2017/18 harvest a production of 3.35 million hundredweight is expected.
The growing debt now exceeds $180 million and a lack of funds to invest in research and renovation of the park is increasingly reducing the possibility of the industry improving.
For companies in the coffee sector, with each passing year the situation is getting worse.Not only are the effects of weather on plantations hurting their performance, but so is lack of investment in research and funding necessary for an activity that is becoming less competitive compared to other producers and exporting countries.
Projections for the 2016/17 harvest are for 40 million hundredweight of the robusta variety, and that the harvest in 2017/18 cycle will increase by 30%.
After authorization was given in December for extensive planting of this varietyin seven departments in the Pacific and in the autonomous regions of the Northern and Southern Caribbean, except Waslala, the group Mercon Coffee Group is preparing to start cultivation and expects to collect in this first harvest about 40,000 hundredweight.
Up to February 1 2017, exports totaled 2 million bags of 46 kilos, an increase of 41% compared to the same period in the 2015/2016 harvest.
From a report by the Honduran Coffee Institute:
Exports to date total 2,025,986.39 bags of 46 kg, an increase of 40.88% compared to the 1,438,099.70 recorded in the same period in 2015-2016.The value of exports is 292.94 million showing an increase of 60% compared to the 177.83 million recorded on this date in 2015-2016.
The expected reduction in the 2016/17 harvest is due, among other factors, to the influence of late blooming caused by a prolonged dry period in the regions of Perez Zeledon, Poas and Naranjo.
From a statement issued by the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica:
According to estimates by the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica, ICAFE, the body governing national coffee production, the coffee harvest which is being collected (2016-2017) in all producing regions, could fall by 12.5% compared to the previous period, according to the latest report.