Hurricane Strikes Central American Coffee Regions Multiple Countries Experience Varying Degrees of Coffee Production Reduction!

For more professional coffee knowledge exchange and coffee bean information, please follow Cafe Style (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

On November 3, 2020, Category 4 Hurricane ETA (later downgraded to a tropical storm) made landfall in Central America. The hurricane caused varying degrees of damage in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Panama, while Costa Rica, Mexico, and Jamaica were also affected by the hurricane, experiencing heavy rainfall. The hurricane destroyed power lines in the Central American region, caused landslides and floods, and disrupted road access in some remote areas, leaving many people homeless and claiming numerous lives.

COVID-19 had already significantly impacted coffee production in these countries, and the arrival of this hurricane undoubtedly made matters worse. In addition to destroying farmland, even the undestroyed farms were affected by the rainfall brought by the hurricane, which impacted the growth of coffee cherries.

Nicaragua: Coffee leaf rust spreads through storms and rainfall

"Although Nicaragua's coffee harvest season has not yet begun, the prolonged rainfall may accelerate the ripening of coffee cherries," said Lily Sevilla, president of the National Union of Nicaraguan Coffee Producers. "Overly rapid ripening reduces the time for flavor development, affecting the quality of the final harvest."

In addition to affecting fruit ripening speed, large amounts of mature fruits were knocked down by strong winds and heavy rain, and coffee leaf rust fungus spread through wind and rain in multiple regions. According to local government estimates, in coffee-growing areas such as Jinotega, Matagalpa, and Boaco, more than 3,400 hectares of coffee farms were damaged by this hurricane.

Honduras: Small-scale coffee farming communities suffer damage, with potential 3% production reduction in 2021

The hurricane ravaged the Central American coastline, reaching northern Honduras. The heavy rain and catastrophic winds from the tropical storm caused floods, landslides, and mudflows. A local non-governmental agricultural organization in Honduras stated: "We have received many calls and messages from farmers telling us about the destruction of their homes and loss of crops." Some severely affected provinces, including Copán, Honduras's main coffee-producing region, had previously experienced favorable weather conditions and rainfall patterns for coffee tree growth in late 2020. "The crops had sufficient moisture to grow, and the flowering of the coffee plants was impressive," recalled a Honduran coffee farmer. Many farmers in the region believed this would have been the perfect harvest to recover from the impact of COVID-19, but the arrival of the hurricane instantly shattered everyone's expectations.

According to the International Coffee Organization's estimates, Honduras suffered damage to 3,409 hectares of coffee farmland, with an additional 4,144 hectares experiencing partial damage, resulting in approximately a 3% loss in total exportable coffee production for the 2020/21 season. According to the latest Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) annual statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Honduras exported approximately 372 million pounds of coffee beans last year. This means if the loss reaches 3%, exportable coffee in the new season will be reduced by 11.7 million pounds.

Guatemala: Coffee production and exports face bleak prospects in 2021

Guatemala was also hit by Hurricane Eta, with the main coffee-producing region of Vivette Nango suffering severe damage. The hurricane caused approximately 13,000 small-scale farmers in Guatemala to lose major economic crops such as coffee and bananas. A local small-scale farmer stated: "Due to mudslides on my farm, I will lose at least 5% of my harvest. Many of my coffee plants and banana trees were completely destroyed." Guatemala's National Coffee Association stated: "Guatemala's coffee production and export volume in 2021 do not look optimistic."

El Salvador: Mature beans fall, coffee crops suffer damage

El Salvador's fair trade certified coffee cooperatives reported that excessive rainfall caused mature beans to fall and coffee crops to suffer damage. According to data from El Salvador's Coffee Association (ACAFESAL), the continuous rainfall caused by this hurricane puts coffee production from 2019 to 2020 at risk of 15% to 20% losses, and sugarcane crops were also affected.

Panama: Leaf rust spreads across Central America, Panama may see production reduction of over 15% in 2021

Although the hurricane did not cause significant direct damage to many coffee regions in Panama beyond house collapses, the excessive rainfall has accelerated the spread of coffee leaf rust across Central America. Combined with the fact that Panama's coffee varieties are susceptible to leaf rust, and with the disease already beginning to spread, it is expected that Panama's coffee production will decrease by 15%-20% next year.

Jamaica: Affected by heavy rainfall, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee may face varying degrees of production reduction

Although this hurricane did not directly hit Jamaica's Blue Mountains, the excessive rainfall caused by the hurricane led to nutrient imbalance in coffee plants, causing red cherries to fall before completing maturation. Meanwhile, due to landslides, roads in Jamaica's Blue Mountains were severely damaged. This series of impacts will cause Blue Mountain coffee to face varying degrees of production reduction during the harvest season.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat (ID: kaixinguoguo0925)

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473