Honduran coffee growers forecast that for the 2018-2019 harvest, foreign sales income will be reduced by $300 million with respect to the previous cycle.
According to the Association of Coffee Exporters of Honduras (Adecafeh), the bad numbers for the sector continue, because so far this crop has registered a fall of $ 40 million in exports, equivalent to 400 thousand quintals, compared to the previous cycle.
Coffee exports from the 2014-15 harvest reported a 21% increase compared to the previous period, accumulating revenues of $533 million up until March this year.
Of total exports, 67% went to Europe, 28% to America, 4% to Asia and 1% to Oceania.
Exporters warn that the proposal to retain $5 for every three or four pounds of exportable quintal will reduce competitiveness and encourage smuggling.
The bill introduced in Congress days ago cites the retention of $5 for every three or four pounds of exportable quintal in order to constitute a fund to support coffee growers affected by rust. Exporters believe that this measure will only encourage more smuggling and reduce the product's competitiveness internationally.
Honduran businessmen estimate that a million quintals of grain have been illegally trafficked into Guatemala in recent months.
The reduction of the grain harvest in Guatemala caused by the rust plague intensified the problem, exacerbating a situation which is already well known among producers and exporters of Honduran coffee.
Businessmen are warning that this season illegal movements have increased by more than a million bags.
The manager of the Coffee Exporters Association of Honduras (Adecafeh), Miguel Pon, requested the intervention of the Border Police and the Executive Directorate of Revenue (DEI) to curb illicit exports. "It could represent an impact of $100 million in foreign exchange earnings from exports ...".
Central American coffee exports were significantly reduced in the first quarter of the current harvest compared to the previous harvest.
Coffee shipments outside of Central American in the first two months of the current harvest decreased significantly compared to the previous crop, affected by the impact of the rust fungus in plantations.
"The National Coffee Association of Guatemala (Anacafé), the regional authority in the coffee category, reported that Honduran coffee shipments fell by 43%, just behind Nicaragua, which suffered the most pronounced reduction with 79.5%.
The coffee cycle closed 2012-13 with sales of $650 million less than in the previous cycle.
This was announced by the Coffee Exporters Association of Honduras (Adecafeh). Among the largest Honduran grain buyers are Germany and Belgium, followed by the the U.S., Japan and Korea, said Miguel Pon, Adecafeh's manager.
$300 million will be required for pest control alone, and more than $1 billion to renovate the plantations that have been affected.
The figures which have been gathered unofficially indicated that in excess of 1.7 million quintals of coffee have been destroyed by the fungus known as rust in Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.
The president of the Coffee Exporters Association of Honduras (Adecafeh), Omar Acosta says that the loss in Honduras could reach two million quintals, "The Ihcafé says that no damage has been done, butwe do not understand why they are lying. They should have a plan for the country because it is a serious problem, we all know that there is a strong impact from rust and we believe there is a damage of between 25% and 30% of the crop, which amounts to two million quintals. "
According to the Honduran Coffee Institute, during this harvest the country has exported a total of 4,767,510 bags of 46 kilos.
Europe remains the largest buyer, at 76.81% of total exports, with Germany, Belgium and Italy being the main importers, according to the Honduran Association of Coffee Exporters (Adecafeh).
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