Up to 1 million coffee bags could be lost to Central and Southern American storms

Coffee regions in Central and Southern America estimate that up to 1 million bags may have been lost to the torrential rains, mudslides and massive flooding that hit the region in October. Known crop losses are currently estimated at around 150,000 bags.  El Salvador’s Ministry of Agriculture reported that losses from cherries that have fallen to the ground are estimated at 35,267 bags and the total damage is expected to be between 7 and 20 per cent of the national production. With the 2011-12 crop in El Salvador forecast to produce 1.41 million bags, this equals losses of anywhere from 100,000 bags up to as much as 282,000 bags. Crop losses elsewhere in the countries worst hit are pegged to reach between 100,000 and 252,000 bags in Guatemala; between and 200,000 to 300,000 bags in Mexico; between 100,000 to 150,000 bags in Honduras and; smaller losses of between 50,000 and 100,000 bags in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The damage from the torrential rains from six different tropical storms could go as high as 1.5 million bags, depending on the continuing effects of the excess humidity from the rains that fell non-stop for 10 to 12 days in the worst hit regions. Among the most affected areas are coffee growing regions accounting for 83 per cent of the crop in El Salvador, about 40 per cent in Honduras, at least 70 per cent in Guatemala, 30 per cent in Mexico and smaller regions accounting for some 20 per cent in Nicaragua and 10 per cent in Costa Rica.  Full report will be available in the next edition of Global Coffee Review,  <click here to subscribe>