Abnormal climate in Costa Rica affects coffee production

According to the latest report released by the Costa Rican Coffee Authority, coffee production in the country has plummeted by nearly 30 per cent in the past decade, including a 15 per cent drop in 2011 compared with the same period last year. The report also pointed out that although the increase in production costs, price fluctuations in the international market and domestic policy changes have led to a decline in coffee production year by year, the main reason is the intensification of climate change.

Costa Rica is a major coffee producing area in the world, with an annual output of nearly 2 million bags. A few days ago, our reporter visited this world-famous high-quality coffee producing country. Driving about 50 kilometers west from the capital, San Jose, cars spiral up the winding mountain road, and the mountains of Alajuela are full of coffee trees. "Duka Coffee" is the largest farm here, and it has been growing coffee for nearly 300 years. In a red-roofed and white-walled villa-style house with green trees, Mary, head of the Duka Coffee farm, told reporters that the whole farm covers an area of 12000 hectares and employs more than 300 people.

Alajuela coffee beans are favored by Starbucks coffee chains because of their rich and delicate taste and slippery texture. Mary said that coffee trees like a mild climate, and the moderate elevation of 1400 meters in the mountains creates the best growing environment for fog and rain. The acidic fertility and moderate soil moisture of Boaz volcano soil can not only reduce the bitter taste of coffee beans, but also increase slightly acidity, matching the moderate balance of sweet, sour and bitter taste to the extreme.

Every year from October to February is the coffee harvest season. "however, the rainfall in September and October is obviously on the high side, and many coffee beans are detached before they are ripe."... " During the conversation, Mary was worried about the future of coffee cultivation. She told reporters that now the solar terms have become chaotic, interfering with the work cycle of farmers, coupled with the growing age of trees and other factors, coffee production will continue to decline in the future.

Mary's concerns are also a common problem for Costa Rican coffee growers. Nelson Arroyo, a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Costa Rica, said in an interview with our reporter that under the combined effect of "El Ni ñ o" and "La Nina" phenomena, the rainfall intensity in coffee growing areas near the Caribbean increased significantly, while the sunshine in the Pacific coast was strong, coffee trees in some areas blossomed ahead of schedule, and coffee fruits fell off prematurely in some areas.

Generally speaking, La Nina will increase rainfall and reduce sunshine time of coffee trees, while increased soil moisture and thickened clouds will produce a lot of mold, which virtually increases the chances of coffee trees being infected with black rot. The dry high temperature caused by "El Ni ñ o" can easily cause diseases and insect pests such as coffee bark beetle. All these will lead to poor nutrition absorption of coffee beans, smaller particles and abnormal chemical composition, which will affect the yield and quality of coffee beans.

Researchers at the Royal Botanical Gardens have warned that climate change could even wipe out Arabica coffee trees by 2080. The number of coffee growers in Costa Rica is decreasing year by year, and in other countries such as Peru, Colombia, Ethiopia and Kenya, coffee growers either pick coffee beans a month in advance or keep changing planting sites to reduce the impact of climate change on coffee cultivation.

According to industry insiders, due to the impact of climate change, Arabica coffee production can hardly return to its previous level, while coffee consumption demand in China and other emerging market countries is increasing, and the imbalance between global coffee supply and demand will worsen in the future. Experts suggest that we should speed up the research and introduction of measures to deal with climate change and effective agricultural policies, and improve coffee varieties according to the actual situation of our country.

(responsible Editor: Leo)