Many Coffee Farms Maintain Traditional Production Methods from Years Past.

Costa Rica coffee, known as the ‘golden grain’ for its influence on the country’s economy over the years, was the key cause for celebration early this week in commemoration of two centuries of production since the first coffee farm was built in 1808. Amid celebrations was a slightly pessimistic outlook from producers who are facing growing challenges due to global financial issues along with natural setbacks. In 1990, Costa Rica had 90,000 producers; today it is down to 47,000. Two hundred years since it was first sowed on Costa Rica Lands, the coffee farmers that remain have to come to terms with the factors that have lowered production from 30,000 sacks per hectare to the 20,000 that is produced today.

Rising costs of farming and an increasing number of plagues due to lack of good maintenance of the coffee plants show that something has to be done if this industry is to be saved. Today, 36% of the profits from the exportation of a sack of beans goes to purchasing pesticides.

Costa Rican farmers only just got out of one crisis when in 2006 they were hit badly with a shocking rise in the cost of agricultural supplies. “The devaluation of the colon cannot be compared with the moments when, for some reason, the international value of the coffee went down,” said Rodrigo Vargas, the president of the National Chamber of the Coffee Producers of Costa Rica.

For now the solution lies in the improvement of the tools and supplies available to the producers, which should in turn facilitate production.

“We are not only talking about protecting the 200,000 employees who are, directly and indirectly, working in this activity,” the Executive Director of the Costa Rica Coffee Institute (Icafe), Ronald Peters, said. “Our inspectors are working closely with biological controllers against the various plagues which have been ravaging the plantations, and we now have a very satisfactory plant that we have named the F1 that is resistant to most of these pests.”

Icafe is now revising final details before signing an agreement with the Central American Institute of the Administration of Industries, in order to define a protocol for the administration of the region and for the distribution of supplies, which in turn will allow for maximum production. “We hope to be back on track within the next three years,” Peters said.

Coffee reached Costa Rica land in the 18th century and slowly spread out to cover the Central Valley and surrounding highlands. Coffee farmers, large and small, made a success of the industry through hard work and perseverance, paving the way as the first Central American country to establish coffee as a major export. The very first export went to Colombia, and by 1823, Costa Rica was exporting to Chile, where the coffee was given the name of Café Chileno de Valparaiso, and was exported to England. In 1854, a ship captain, took the initiative to export the coffee directly to England. This proved to be a success and transformed the Costa Rican coffee into the Grain of Gold, as we know it today.

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Filed under: Business on July 23rd, 2008