Coffee growing is a noble sector, it fosters social development in marginalized places in Mexico, it promotes caring for the environment and the preservation of biodiversity. There is a growing consumer market that has opted for coffee as their preferred drink
The coffee-growing sector worldwide has faced cyclical crises, derived from some factors such as a lower international price of grain, greater volatility, low agronomic productivity, increased production costs (labor in harvesting the crop) associated with the climate change, resulting in lower profitability of the grain, impacting the market for this crop. (First world forum of coffee-producing countries Medellín, Colombia).
The state of Oaxaca has tried to overcome these crises by organizing and integrating into the value chain to offer the market a differentiated product, currently with the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic and by global overproduction, the most important regional organizations They have been mobilized to promote, seek support and business opportunities to be able to get ahead of this unprecedented crisis.
Coffee growing is a noble sector, it fosters social development in marginalized places in Mexico, it promotes caring for the environment and the preservation of biodiversity.
There is a growing consumer market that has opted for coffee as the drink of choice.
Oaxaca is the fourth coffee-producing state nationwide after Chiapas, Veracruz, and Puebla, in the figures reported for the 2018/19 cycle, 111,197 hectares were harvested, with a production of 75,829 tons, reporting an average yield of 0.68 tons per hectare. , well below the national yield of 1.32 ton / ha., with data from the Agrifood and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP).
Of the 545,000 producers that make up the national register of coffee producers, 109.5 thousand producers represent 20%, they belong to Oaxaca. 98% of the producers have less than 2 hectares, that is to say, that this surface is subsistence, in addition to this, 65% of the plantations correspond to the Typica (Arabian) variety that, despite giving good quality in the cup, the yields are very low.
The coffee producers of Oaxaca have been strengthened through their organizations with credit and support for the renewal of coffee plantations, infrastructure, credit for marketing and training, this is undoubtedly great merit.
One strategy has been to offer the market a differentiated product, through the certification of organic coffee, contributing with the result to support the indigenous communities, since they cannot produce large quantities of the bean.
Currently, the situation in the sector is uncertain for producers. However, the global crisis of the pandemic could be a trigger to continue joining efforts; Therefore, in joint participation with the Mexican Association of the Coffee Productive Chain AC (Amecafe), in alliance with Sader, FIRA, FND, the program “Emerging Financing Scheme for Coffee” has been created, with which 350 million pesos (mp) of credit at the national level, with accessible interest rates and guarantees, for Oaxaca it is estimated that 55 million pesos will be channeled to benefit 5,500 hectares and more than 5,800 producers in highly marginalized areas, which provides for guaranteeing their productivity and quality.
* Marina Calderón participates in the Oaxaca Agency of FIRA. The opinion expressed here is that of the author and does not necessarily coincide with the official point of view of FIRA.
Source: eleconomista.com.mx
