Coffee production faces complications in terms of low price per quintal, high cost of fertilizers, and labor shortages.
The Honduran coffee sector trusts that the internal marketing processes of the aromatic bean will improve at a time when the price on the international market is around US$151 per bag, insufficient income to offset the high production costs.
The values of the price of coffee at the international level are temporary and are changing, in this context, the internal marketing processes will improve, considered the producer David Valeriano.
Last week the situation of price declines was taking place, therefore, the exporters had stopped the internal purchase-sale marketing process with national producers due to the uncertainty caused by this situation.
The issue of the lack of purchase mainly from coffee exporters with producers causes an accumulation of the grain. “We would hope that the price situation will be regulated and fertilization is very important for production,” added Valeriano regarding the national marketing process that takes into account international purchase prices.
“The weather conditions that are prevailing in Brazil (which is the benchmark in the market) are good and the coffee grower depends on how Brazil is doing. In the news last week it was reported that the rain regime was normalizing and apparently the production was going to be normal”, he pointed out.
David Valeriano classified as very positive and highly beneficial the deliveries of the Coffee Bonus made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG) at the national level in support of small producers with their grain fertilization processes. Honduras is about to close its fourth month of the 2022/23 harvest with the expectation of exporting 7.2 million quintals and capturing 1,500 million dollars in foreign currency, however, in the first three months of the productive cycle (from October to December) it was confirmed drop in sales volume.
The problem in this peak season is exacerbated when farm owners report a shortage of labor to cut the grain, therefore, they are forced to look for workers in neighboring countries, putting pressure on production costs.
