The IADB will grant the Salvadoran government a loan for $45 million, which will be used to finance the project called "Strengthening the Climate Resilience of Coffee Forests."
According to the Government, the subscription of the loan with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has the objective of maintaining the ecosystemic services provided by the coffee forest and improving the food security of small producers, informed the Ministry of Finance of El Salvador.
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.
The Guatemalan exporters' guild made available to specialty coffee producers the digital platform CoffeVerse, which is focused on expanding business opportunities and markets.
The platform that was presented by the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport) includes a geolocation data of farms and it is expected that in the coming months the system will include details of the producing farms.
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 Nicaragua some coffee growers have decided to replace their crops with avocado plantations, because the international price of coffee has reported low prices in recent years.
According to reports from CentralAmericaData, in the last seven years the average price of regional coffee exports has registered a clear decreasing trend, going from $4.86 per kilo in January 2012 to $2.57 at the beginning of 2019.
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"]
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.
In order to sell the grain at better prices, Salvadoran coffee growers are interested in exporting to countries such as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.
According to directors of the Salvadoran Coffee Council, South American countries are potential markets for the grain produced in El Salvador, since the consumption of specialty coffees is increasing.
Although the U.S. is the main buyer of Guatemalan coffee, data from the exporters' guild indicate that South Korea is one of the markets that pays the best prices for the grain, while Italy pays one of the lowest prices.
#Although the main buyer of Guatemalan coffee is the United States, there are indications that Asian countries tend to appreciate Guatemalan coffee more, paying a higher price for it, notes the report "Guatemalan Coffee: A Focus on the World Market and Its Productivity.