Foreign sales have already surpassed the $400 million mark with estimated total export volume reaching 2.5 million hundredweight.
The president of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP), Joseph Adam Aguerri said 2015 has been a good year for Nicaraguan coffee, overcoming the negative effects of drought and rust.
"... In the period from the first of October 2014 to 30 September this year, the Center for Export Procedures (CETREX) posted revenues of US $414.3 million, generated by exports of 2,303,688 bags of coffee, of which 1,535,792 bags weighed 69 kilograms and 1,766,161 weighed 60 kilograms. Last year revenues from gold grain exports totaled US $394.5 million. "
Adverse climate effects have led to a lower production of honey, which will not be enough to meet demand in the local market by the end of the year.
According to projections by the Tropical Bee Research Center, at the National University this year production was one-third what it was in 2014. Consequently beekeepers and packaging companies will be affected by this low level of honey production in the country.
The drought has forced a prematurely end to the crushing season, which already experienced in the past fortnights performance drops of 42% compared to last year.
Zafranet.com reports that "... Sugar production in Brazil, the world's largest exporter of the raw material, is slowing rapidly due to a drought this year which will provoke an early end to the milling season in the coming weeks, said the Union of Sugarcane Industry in Brazil, Unica, on Tuesday. "
About $80 million is the estimate for spending by coffee producers in 2014/15 crop season which is estimated at 2.08 million hundredweight.
Around $78.8 million has been allocated for harvesting the crop, most of which will be used in the payment of wages to collectors, who in some cases are reported by producers to, "... be able to expect to earn up to $1,000 per month."
Volcafé, one of the largest traders in the world, has announced that its production will be 10% lower than the previous season, due to the effects of drought in Brazil.
After fluctuating for 4 weeks, the price of contracts with terms of one month for the arabica variety rose to $215 on April 23rd.
Bloomberg reports that "the global harvest, including the variety of robusta beans, will be 11 million bags short of meeting global demand, estimates Volcafe. That means a global deficit which is equivalent to the production of Colombia, the second largest supplier of arabica in the world. ".
Manufacturers reported a reduction of 70% compared to the previous harvest season and estimate a drop in exports this year.
AGEXPORT estimates a 40% decrease in the volume of honey projected for the current season.
From a press release issued by the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (AGEXPORT):
The Beekeeping Committee at AGEXPORT has expressed its state of alarm over the current difficulties facing the beekeeping industry nationally, due to a drastic reduction in the volumes of honey which has been harvested to date, compared with the harvest during the last season.
Growers will have to wait for the next harvest due to there not having been a pronunciation by the Ministry of Health regarding human consumption of the product.
Although the planting and harvesting of this product for animal consumption has been authorized by the Ministry of Agricultural Development, health authorities have not pronounced on it, leaving 25 producers waiting to see if they can start planting 2,400 acres of the genetically modified grain.
During the period January-July 2012-2013 production increased from 1.2392 million to 1.3074 million boxes of bananas.
However, export revenues were down 13% from $2.2 million in the first eight months of 2012 to $1.9 million in the same period of 2013. The decrease is due to the decrease in the international prices of bananas, according to the Center for Export Processing (CETREX).
Nicaraguan sugar producers are confident that the harvest which was recently started will bring in more than the 15.6 million quintals of sugar produced in the last cycle, reaching 17 million.
This was explained Mario Amador, general manager of the National Committee of Sugar Producers (CNPA). This would mean an increase of 8.9% compared to the 2012-13 harvest.
Sugarcane stands out in the agricultural sector for its growth in the amount of cultivated areas, mechanization of work, and the use of compost.
According to the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (MIEA) published by the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BNC), sugar cane was the item which excelled the most in the agricultural sector last August.
Danilo Saavedra from the Foundation for Technological Development, Agriculture and Forestry in Nicaragua, (Funica), said producers are increasing the amount of cultivated areas because they have secured the market. He further explained that the advantage of sugarcane is that it has secondary uses such as making rum and molasses.
Projections for the next crop production are of 1,100,236 quintals of green coffee beans, compared to the previous period which was 1,720,000 quintals, 36% less.
Salvadoran harvest forecast 2013/2014 by the Salvadoran Coffee Council:
The first forecast for the coffee harvest of 2013/2014, conducted by the Salvadoran Coffee Council, has been set at 1,100,236 quintals of gold coffee beans, which represents a decrease of 36% from the harvest of 2012/2013, which at the time of the study stood at 1,720,000 quintals. The severe outbreak of coffee rust in 2012, is be the key factor in the sharp decline.
In Nicaragua, expectations are that the harvest of white corn in the 2013-2014 cycle will reach 12 million quintals, which will be enough to supply national consumption.
However in order for that to happen, small and medium farmers must achieve a higher return on their crops and increase production.
Laprensa.com.ni reports: "Through the Corn for All program, which is being run in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, the idea is to increase productivity of staple grain crops in the varieties that are planted in each country ". This program is being developed in partnership with Disagro and Helps International.
Honduran Sugar producers are confident that the harvest which will start at the end of November will exceed 11 million quintals of sugar produced in 2012.
This was explained Carlos Melara, executive director of the Association of Sugar Producers of Honduras (APAH).
"... The estimated production, more than 12 million quintals of sugar, is due to the industry continuing to grow steadily and having achieved greater ability to export to new markets," noted an article in Proceso.hn.
Estimates are that this year they will harvest 35 million quintals of corn and 6 million quintals of beans.
This year in 2013, the corn harvest was 33 million quintals and 5 million quintals of beans, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA).
The deputy minister of the Maga, Carlos Anzueto, said that this record has been achieved because of the distribution of rainfall, automation and the presence of agricultural extension.
Although cotton is currently going through a good time, the National Plan for Production, Consumption and Trade does not include this seed for the crop season 2013-14.
Despite this situation, farmers are reluctant to stop planting because they owe about $2 million to Alba-Caruna and because in terms of demand and prices, cotton is currently going through a good time.
español
8280
