Coffee production goes back 10 years due to climate change and abandonment of plantations

The National Coffee Board (JNC) He warned that climate change and the abandonment of plantations have set coffee production in Peru back a decade.

According to the organization, while in 2011 the collection of aromatic beans totaled 331,000 tons of green coffee, in 2021 it barely reached 227,600 tons, despite the support for producers that different public entities repeatedly advertise.

“It represents, since then, a 31% drop, which urges us to make a bold change in the productive matrix of coffee,” said Lorenzo Castillo, manager of the JNC.

In this sense, Castillo stated that coffee growers, for several years, “have been demanding the reconversion of coffee plantations” to adapt to climate change, and thus facilitate production with zero greenhouse gas emissions, as demanded by the international market.

“This production shift must be accompanied by good agricultural practices that guarantee a minimum harvest of 1,600 kg of parchment coffee per hectare, and ensure producers a balance of income vs. costs,” he said.

Coffee in a Central Selva

The JNC warned that the regions most affected by climate change are Junín, San Martín, Huánuco, Pasco and Cusco, where coffee from the lowlands is more affected by rust, CBB and chicken eye pests.

“In the central jungle, production fell from 105,000 tons to 71,000 this year, that is, 32% less. The coffee growers leave their coffee to dedicate themselves to other crops, despite an investment of 400 million soles to renew the plantations, ”Castillo said.

For this reason, twelve coffee cooperatives from different regions have been associating the cultivation of coffee with agroforestry, in commitment to mitigating climate change, a savings system for retirement, and accreditation of zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Peruvian export coffee

According to the JNC, the volume of coffee shipped to 45 countries closes this year with 187,000 tons, equivalent to 4 million 83 thousand quintals of coffee, compared to 216,300 last year, which represents a contraction of 13.54% , due to the shortage of warehouses in shipping companies.

However, the lower volume exported was partially offset by high prices in the international market, which made it possible to capture 745 million dollars in 2021, compared to 650 million last year.

“These better international prices offset part of the losses accumulated by producers over several years, due to low prices. Now they will be able to pay off debts and make improvements in the plantations, “said the JNC manager.

Good prospects for coffee

However, for the JNC, the scenario for next year is favorable for Peruvian producers, as lower harvests are forecast in Brazil, which will have repercussions in high prices, although in lower amounts than those registered in the year that ends.

“There is optimism among the Peruvian coffee growers, also due to an excellent flowering and filling of grains that predict a good harvest, except for excessive rains that could arise in the coming months and affect the harvesting of the grain,” he added.

He also highlighted the increase in Peruvian coffee consumption despite the problems generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and estimated a volume of 25,300 tons of coffee enjoyed by about 25 million Peruvians, from 12 years of age onwards. .

“Today well-established coffee shops flourish not only in large cities, but even in coffee-growing towns, such as San Juan del Oro, Putina Punco, San Ignacio, Rodríguez de Mendoza, Quillabamba, Rioja, Lamas, Pangoa, Pichanaki. It is clear that the consumption of Peruvian coffee exceeds 1 kg per capita, to which is added 500 grams of imported product “, remarked Lorenzo Castillo.