Mexico: drought puts 90% of coffee crops on the southern border at risk

The Union of Independent Producers of Coffee warned this Monday of risks for between 80% and 90% of crops on the southern border of Mexico due to the drought that has lasted since January, which is why government support is urgently needed to protect crops.

Ismael Gómez, representative of the organization, stated in an interview with EFE that generally 6 million coffee bagsbut in this production cycle the figure would drop to 500,000.

According to the leader coffee growerAccording to the last census, there are about 170,000 hectares in the southern border region of Mexicowith a similar number of planters that could be affected by the drought.

“Most producers have up to one and a half hectares, but the vast majority have one hectare and subsist on their product.”Gómez explained.

Mexico It is the eighth world exporter of coffee beanswith exports that exceeded 433.8 million dollars in 2023, according to the Statista site.

But the area planted with coffee cherry fell by 0.42% annually in 2023, to 698,035 hectares, according to the latest data available from the Government’s Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP).

In Chiapas, a state on the southern border of Mexicowhich contributes a third of the national coffee productionthe coffee growers They are alarmed by the drought, Gómez indicated.

“Since there is no production, they ask the federal government for support to cover expenses (due to income) that will not exist for the production cycle, for the renewal of coffee plantations, to combat pests and diseases.”said the leader of the Union of Independent Coffee Producers.

A national water crisis

The problem is exacerbated because 67.97% of the Mexican territory presents moderate to exceptional drought, according to the latest report from the National Water Commission (Conagua), which in the southern border region reports 21.5% of the surface area. ‘abnormally dry’, 44.7% with moderate drought and 29.8% with severe

Joel Ruiz García, a farmer from the El Triunfo community, located in the upper area of ​​Tapachula, assured that he had never witnessed a lack of rain like the current one.

“What worries us a lot is the little production that we are going to have, which will be 30% to 40% (of the usual level), if anything.“, lament.

“However, those of us who are fond of coffee growing We do not stop investing in it, as you can see here there is pruning, planting, replanting. So (we seek) to recover part of the expenses that we are investing in the field, we trust that our government listens to our requests”he added.

Venancio Morales Velázquez, from the canton of El Chaparrón, said that the flowers are withering.

“What it will give is small, the bush (plant) is small, they are already lost. everything is dry”, he expressed. “Today there will no longer be enough to produce coffee This year, the dryness was very hard, in January it always rained twice and it didn’t rain at all”he added.

Isaí García Trujillo, a coffee producer from Tapachula, agreed on the historical severity of the drought in the area, which has been exacerbated since 2023 by the El Niño meteorological phenomenon, an event that is generated by the warming of the Pacific Ocean and causes an increase of temperatures, droughts and forest loss.

“And, therefore, it is going to plunge us into a crisis from which it will be very difficult to recover. For this reason, we call on producers to organize and make clear the need for the effects to which we have been subject and to make a comprehensive proposal on how to address this loss.“, said.