There is a long way to go to renew coffee seedlings in Peru.

According to a recent report by the Peruvian Andean News Agency, the National Coffee Council announced that as many as 15000 hectares of coffee plantations in the central, northern and eastern parts of the secret rainforest have been replaced with new coffee species, accounting for 5 per cent of the total 290000 hectares of coffee that need to be replaced. The reason for the replacement is that the coffee is affected by yellow rust and the tree is no longer productive because it is more than 15 years old. Of the replaced coffee, 8000 hectares were replaced by growers and production cooperatives themselves, while another 7000 hectares came from loans provided by the Agricultural Bank of Peru (2.50,0.01 0.40%).

Anner Roman, chairman of the committee, said 70% of the country's 425000 hectares of coffee, or 290000 hectares, needed to be renewed, of which 94000 hectares were destroyed by yellow rust and needed to be replanted.

According to the government's coffee renewal plan, Peru needs to replace 80, 000 hectares of coffee seedlings within four years to restore coffee production in 2011, which reached a record 7.2 million piculs that year. At present, it is still a long way from achieving this goal.