Why Honduras Coffee Production Faces a Double Blow
Honduras faces a sharp drop in coffee production next season. Napoléon Matute, manager of the national coffee institute IHCAFE, said El Niño drought cut nationwide rainfall by 40 percent against the same period last year, threatening flowering and delaying fruit development. The coffee berry borer is also spreading through plantations, and losses are expected to be considerable.
The borer, known as the most destructive coffee pest worldwide, bores into the fruit and feeds on it, so yields fall and coffee quality drops as damaged cherries rot. IHCAFE based its rainfall assessment on 25 telemetry stations and information from COPECO, and reported the situation on July 3. Matute urged growers to monitor crops closely while the institute tracks the damage; the size of the decline is not yet quantified.
The Honduran coffee industry is facing severe challenges. According to Napoléon Matute, manager of the country's coffee institute (IHCAFE), the drought triggered by El Niño has caused nationwide rainfall to plummet by 40% compared with the same period last year, seriously threatening the coffee flowering period and hindering fruit development. At the same time, the coffee berry borer is spreading rampantly in plantations. This pest, known as the most destructive coffee pest in the world, burrows into and feeds on the fruit, reducing yields and damaging quality. Under the combined effect of drought and pest infestation, Honduran coffee may suffer a double blow in the next harvest season. Matute called on growers to strengthen crop monitoring, and IHCAFE will continue to track the disaster situation. Although the extent of the production decline has not yet been quantified, losses are expected to be considerable.
Honduras' La Prensa reported on July 3:
Napoléon Matute, manager of the Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE), citing monitoring data from 25 telemetry stations nationwide and information from the Permanent Contingency Commission (COPECO), said that drought conditions caused by El Niño have reduced the country's rainfall by 40% compared with the same period last year. This situation will pose a fatal threat to the flowering period of coffee plants, leading to delayed fruit development and ultimately affecting production in the next harvest season.
Matute also emphasized that the pest problem is equally grim. The coffee berry borer (Broca) has now proliferated in large numbers in coffee plantations across the country. This pest, also known as the coffee berry beetle, is recognized as the most destructive coffee pest in the world. It burrows into the coffee fruit to parasitize and reproduce, and the newly hatched small beetles feed on the fruit, causing it to rot and deteriorate. This not only causes an overall decline in production but also lowers coffee quality.
Coffee berry beetle
Under the double blow of drought and pests, Honduras' coffee production in the next season is likely to come under enormous pressure. Matute called on growers to pay close attention to the growth of coffee crops and stated that IHCAFE will continue to monitor relevant developments. At present, the extent of the production decline and the degree of impact on next season's coffee beans have not yet been assessed, but losses are expected to be very severe.
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