Coffee exports from Honduras jumped 43% in November, but officials warn a drop-off is looming in the future.
IHCAFE, the Honduran national coffee institute, reported that November exports were fulfilled in large part with beans remaining from last season’s harvest, according to a recent Reuters report. In all, 163,540 60-kilo bags were shipped during November.
But officials caution that those numbers are expected to tumble. Overall, IHCAFE predicts 6.58 million bags will be sent this season compared to 6.81 million bags last season. The current seasonal calendar began in October 2019 and extends through September 2020.
The decline, officials say, would be triggered by lower international market prices and drought conditions on some farms. Many small- and medium-sized producers already have abandoned the crop in the wake of low prices and left the country as migrants headed for the United States. "Many migrate to the United States, paying off smugglers with the little money they have left," IHCAFE director Mario Rene Palma said in the Reuters report.