GUATEMALA: A deadly plant fungus has rapidly spread across Central America with big production losses feared amid lower prices. Salvadoran and Guatemalan coffee makers discuss the effects on the industry
Record ID:
702615
GUATEMALA: A deadly plant fungus has rapidly spread across Central America with big production losses feared amid lower prices. Salvadoran and Guatemalan coffee makers discuss the effects on the industry
- Title: GUATEMALA: A deadly plant fungus has rapidly spread across Central America with big production losses feared amid lower prices. Salvadoran and Guatemalan coffee makers discuss the effects on the industry
- Date: 29th January 2013
- Summary: LOS NARANJOS AHUACHAPAN, EL SALVADOR (RECENT) (REUTERS) COFFEE PLANTS AFFECTED BY FUNGUS VARIOUS OF COFFEE FARMER INSPECTING PLANTS / SHOWING LEAF AFFECTED BY FUNGUS VARIOUS OF COFFEE PLANTS ACATENANGO, CHIMALTENANGO, GUATEMALA (RECENT) (REUTERS) FRESH PICKED COFFEE BEANS IN BASKET VARIOUS OF COFFEE FARMER COLLECTING COFFEE BEANS SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR (RECENT) (REUTERS) REPORTER INTERVIEWING ANA ELENA ESCALANTE, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SALVADORAN COFFEE COUNCIL (CSC) ESCALANTE SORTING OUT PAPERS ON DESK (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ANA ELENA ESCALANTE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SALVADORAN COFFEE COUNCIL (CSC), SAYING: "As the roya enters it's ripening period in August, the trees start defoliating and shedding their leaves so coffee beans which were not collected on certain coffee plantations, did not fully mature. But even when the bean does not fall, it sticks because the grain starts drying up and this affects the quality." LOS NARANJOS AHUACHAPAN, EL SALVADOR (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COFFEE FARMERS SORTING COFFEE GRAINS / MAN INSPECTING COFFEE GRAINS IN SACK ACATENANGO, CHIMALTENANGO, GUATEMALA (RECENT) (REUTERS) MAYNOR VAZQUEZ, COORDINATOR FOR NATIONAL COFFEE ASSOCIATION (ANACAFE), INSPECTING PLANTS AND SHOWING LEAVES WITH FUNGUS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MAYNOR VAZQUEZ, COORDINATOR FOR GUATEMALA'S NATIONAL COFFEE ASSOCIATION (ANACAFE), SAYING: "This will cause production to drop by 40 percent next year which creates a great problem in the country, not only affecting the country economically but also socially because coffee is one of the main sources of income in the country and one of the largest sources of employment." COFFEE VALLEY VARIOUS OF WOMEN COLLECTING FRESH COFFEE BEANS FRESH COFFEE BEANS SEEN IN BASKET GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA (RECENT) (REUTERS) OFFICE EXTERIOR GUATEMALA'S NATIONAL COFFEE ASSOCIATION (ANACAFE) NILS LEPOROWSKI PRESIDENT OF GUATEMALA'S NATIONAL COFFEE ASSOCIATION (ANACAFE) LOOKING AT BROCHURE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) NILS LEPOROWSKI PRESIDENT OF GUATEMALA'S NATIONAL COFFEE ASSOCIATION (ANACAFE), SAYING: "The problem is regional, not only Guatemala. If you add what Guatemala will stop producing to what Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and even Mexico will stop producing - I understand there is even roya in Ecuador and Peru - and how will this affect the market? We could talk about a loss of maybe four or five million quintals of gold coffee next season due to roya and lack of production." VARIOUS OF COFFEE TASTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) NILS LEPOROWSKI PRESIDENT OF GUATEMALA'S NATIONAL COFFEE ASSOCIATION (ANACAFE), SAYING: "This year's crops will not be greatly affected but next year's 2013/14 season will be heavily affected because coffee plantations are being greatly affected. We're calculating Guatemala's production will drop by 40 percent and I think the situation is similar in other countries." LOS NARANJOS AHUACHAPAN, EL SALVADOR (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COFFEE GRAINS BEING PROCESSED AT PLANT SACK OF SALVADORAN COFFEE GRAINS COFFEE GRAIN SACKS STACKED UP IN WAREHOUSE
- Embargoed: 13th February 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Guatemala
- Country: Guatemala
- Topics: Business,Disasters,Nature / Environment
- Reuters ID: LVADBQB0YB3C8TWK0SEUCA1PZV7V
- Story Text: Central American farmers who produce some of the world's most sought-after coffee beans are grappling with the re-emergence of a merciless old foe: a tree-killing fungus spread by the wind.
Aggressive outbreaks of the blight known as roya have hit Central America's major coffee-producing nations and Mexico, which are home to more than a fifth of the world's arabica coffee production. The pandemic risks decimating yields, threatening hundreds of thousands of livelihoods and export revenues in some of Latin America's poorest countries.
Making matters worse, coffee prices have fallen by about half since a mid-2011 peak, leaving farmers to face a double-whammy of shrinking incomes on top of depressed output.
The current arabica crop in Central America may survive the brunt of the growing fungal outbreak. But the region's nervous governments fear sharply reduced output in future seasons.
Roya is known as leaf rust due to the powdery orange spores that appear on the underside of infected leaves. They eventually turn black and fall off, killing or severely weakening the tree.
In El Salvador, as much as half of the country's coffee plants have been infected by roya.
Ana Elena Escalante, Executive Director of the Salvadoran Coffee Council (CSC), said the quality of the coffee will be affected.
"As the roya enters it's ripening period in August, the trees start defoliating and shedding its leaves so coffee beans, which were not collected on certain coffee plantations, did not fully mature. But even when the bean does not fall it sticks, because the grain starts drying up and this affects the quality," she said.
In neighbouring Guatemala, 40 percent of roughly 274,000 hectares (677,000 acres) have been hit by roya. Output is projected to drop by 14 percent this season. Guatemalan officials say they expect to see production dip another 40 percent during 2013/2014.
"This will cause production to drop by 40 percent next year which creates a great problem in the country, not only affecting the country economically but also socially because coffee is one of the main sources of income in the country and one of the largest sources of employment," said Maynor Vazquez, the coordinator for Guatemala's national coffee association Anacafe.
Fighting the outbreaks will be made harder given the sharp decline in market prices since the rally of 2011.
In response to the outbreaks, fungicide use has already accelerated, as has pruning, fertilizing and even writing off large tracts of plantation completely.
Three of the region's major producing countries still forecast growth in output this season compared to last. But all of them see dark clouds on the horizon.
"The problem is regional, not only Guatemala. If you add what Guatemala will stop producing to what Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and even Mexico will stop producing - I understand there is even roya in Ecuador and Peru - and how will this affect the market? We could talk about a loss of maybe four or five million quintals of gold coffee next season due to roya and lack of production," said Nils Leporowski, Anacafe's president.
"This year's crops will not be greatly affected but next year's 2013/14 season will be heavily affected because coffee plantations are being greatly affected. We're calculating Guatemala's production will drop by 40 percent and I think the situation is similar in other countries," added Leporowski.
This month, officials from Central American countries, Mexico and the Dominican Republic staged a closed-door, emergency forum in San Salvador to discuss the outbreak.
A formal regional strategy is not expected for another month, but already the broad outlines are clear.
Some countries have already announced their own plans which include training for staff to attack fungus, the use of fungicides and government funding. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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