Poor Farmer

Perhaps the thing that stands out the most in international coffee trade is the obvious injustice towards African, Asian and Latin American rowers. Roman Grynberg Mail & Guardian May 10, 2013 Logistical issues prevent African countries from  deriving greater value from coffee. (AFP) Perhaps the one thing that stands out the most in the international coffee trade is the obvious injustice towards African, Asian and Latin American coffee growers, who get some 7% of the value of roasted coffee sold in supermarkets. The Fairtrade people have complained for years and have made some impact when it comes to farmers' returns for their coffee. An even more glaring issue is the coffee trade of countries such as Germany, which has grown so rapidly over the last decade that it now exports more coffee than all of Africa put together. According to the International Coffee Organisation, in 2011 African countries exported some 10-million bags (60kg each), or about...

By DANICA COTO Associated Press May 16, 2013 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico May 16, 2013 (AP) - Coffee production in Puerto Rico has hit the lowest level ever in the island's history, leaving farmers and government officials worried about how to revive a once burgeoning industry amid a deep economic crisis. Farmers produced some 80,000 pounds (39,900 kilograms) of coffee during the most recent harvest, which represents only a third of local consumption, Agriculture Secretary Myrna Comas said Thursday. Production in previous years has fluctuated between 105,000 pounds (47,600 kilograms) and 150,000 pounds (68,000 kilograms), according to department statistics. "We need to fortify this industry ... and restore its much-deserved standing," Comas said. "We were once known worldwide for the quality of coffee produced on this island." The U.S. territory has since been forced to import coffee from countries including Mexico and the Dominican Republic to meet local ...

By Marguerite Cawley In SightCrime May 13, 2013 Coffee producers in Bolivia are abandoning coffee to cultivate coca, says the head of the country's coffee federation, illustrating the appeal of a crop that is less susceptible to wide price fluctuations on global commodity markets. According to Susana Lima , Secretary General of the Federation of Bolivia's Export Coffee Growers (Fecafeb), Bolivia is now exporting 70,000 bags of coffee per year compared to 110,000 in 2005, and this number is continuing to decline. Lima said that growing coffee has become less profitable as a result of the aging of coffee plantations and a lack of government incentives. As coffee profits decline, coffee producers are turning to coca crops as an alternative, she added. A  2012 study reported the same phenomenon among food producers in the municipality of Yanacachi, who were turning away from traditional farming in favor of coca crop monoculture and gold mining. Meanwhile t...

Fewer Days for Traders to Move Coffee at ECX Twenty day expiration due to storage issues; weight, moisture rules adjusted as well By Elleni Araya Addis Fortune May 5, 2013 The warehouse at Saris, with a capacity of carrying 300,000 quintals, is the largest coffee storing warehouse ECX has, it is also the nearest to the ECX trading floor. The Ethiopia Commodities Exchange (ECX) is reducing the expiration date of warehouse receipts issued for coffee which will go down to 20 days from the previous 30 as of May 9, 2013. This is one of four changes introduced by ECX and approved by its supervising body, the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange Authority (ECEA). Changes introduced include moisture adjustment, the amount that should be contained in a bag, and the cost of handling goods. The receipts, which serve as legal titles and financial instruments, are issued by the ECX to traders once they put their commodities in an ECX warehouse. The ECX introduced these...