High temperatures continue in America! Honduras coffee industry affected

Recently, due to bad weather in Honduras, the Honduran Coffee Research Institute (IHCAFE) is worried about future coffee production. There have been 1903 forest fires across Honduras so far this year, engulfing more than 150000 hectares of forest and seriously affecting agriculture in the country, according to figures released by the Honduran Forest Conservation Institute (ICF).

According to the data, Olancho has the worst affected forest area, ranking first in the country, with 37100 hectares, followed by Francisco Moraz á n (32400 hectares), followed by Gracias Adios (Gracias a Dios), with 23500 hectares destroyed by the fire.

Moreover, since 2024, temperatures in many countries in Latin America have reached new highs, hot and dry weather has led to frequent fires, large areas of mountains and forests have been on fire, and many countries have declared a state of emergency. Honduras is no exception. It has experienced high temperatures this year, and it is reported that Honduras is experiencing its hottest and driest year since 1992, with the highest temperature reaching 38-40 ℃.

In addition, the provinces of Olancho and Francisco Moraz á n, which are hard hit by forest fires, are coffee producing areas in Honduras, but fortunately these coffee producing areas are not major producing areas and produce less, so forest fires have less direct impact on the coffee industry.

But there are some effects. According to the Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE), drought and high temperatures caused by El Ni ñ o will affect the production of coffee beans next season, because according to Honduran weather monitoring data, the rainfall in Honduras will be nearly 40% less than in the same period last year, which is not conducive to the growth of coffee plants during flowering, causing a fatal blow.

In addition, although forest fire has no direct effect on the growth of coffee, it has many potential effects. After forest fire, the soil will be destroyed and eroded, resulting in the weakening of land fertility and the reduction of agricultural production. In addition, forest fires cause damage to the forest ecological environment, and it takes a long time to restore the ecological environment.

In addition, Honduras, a country that is extremely vulnerable to climate change, has been hit by El Ni ñ o this year, followed by La Ni ñ a. According to the Office of the Emergency response Committee of Honduras (Copeco), disasters similar to those caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 could be encountered this year, and this year's hurricane season will pose a serious threat to the country.

It is understood that Hurricane Mitch brought a serious disaster to Honduras, killing more than 5000 people, destroying countless bridges, houses, road construction and crops, and causing economic losses as high as 4 billion US dollars.

This year's Atlantic hurricane season will form 23 tropical storms, 11 of which will evolve into hurricanes, including five very dangerous hurricanes, which are higher than the average in previous hurricane seasons. In addition, the Copeco has drawn up an emergency plan and submitted it to the president, and the government will invest at least 900 million lumbras to deal with the hurricane disaster, but local residents also need to take precautions during the hurricane season.