Colombia’s Coffee Growers Report Spread of Broca Infestations
Coffee Network (Bogota)- Colombia's second-half coffee crop is shaping up to be similar or slightly lower than the one reported last year although some bean players in the Andean nation stressed that high temperatures have prompted the spread of broca infestations.
After suffering low production for the past five years due to bad weather with torrential rains, the world's largest producer of high-quality washed Arabica beans, expects to report a similar production for the second half than the one reported in the same period last year.
Colombia produced 6.607 million bags of coffee in the June-December period of 2022, and a similar level will be recorded in the same period this year, bean players said.
However, high temperatures, associated to the arrival of the El Niño weather phenomenon, are prompting the spread of broca infestations, which eats coffee kernels and hurts bean quality, two coffee growers in the Antioquia province, the country’s second-largest coffee producer said.
"There were some small and large coffee producers that overlooked their plantations and got hit by Broca. This is hitting strongly, and the problem is very serious,” the large coffee growers in the southeast of Antioquia Juan Alvaro Arboleda told Coffee Network.
The information has also been confirmed by the large coffee grower Pedro Echavarria. The coffee growers federation was not immediately available to comment about the level of broca infestation.
Despite of the broca attack, coffee growers in the Antioquia province, said Antioquia is set to produce a similar amount of coffee in the second half of the year as the one reported last year.
Antioquia is expected to collect 1.2 million bags of dry parchment coffee, which corresponds to 70% of the department's harvest, which, added to nearly 600,000 bags from the first semester, is equivalent to 15% of national production, said the executive director of the Departmental Committee, Álvaro Jaramillo Guzmán.
Colombia expects to pick around 12 million bags in the calendar year.
“The harvest is moving forward very slowly. We expect a similar level of the 10.5 million bags reported for the 22-23 year. We see a lot of broca, which could increase with El Niño;” said the large coffee grower Echavarria.
But Antioquia could have an improved secondary harvest in April-June 2024 as Colombia has reported good flowerings so far this year, which will lead to improved harvest next year.
Arboleda also said Antioquia suffers a shortfall of coffee pickers. Ten municipalities with the highest production in the department demand the arrival of around 38,000 additional pickers.
Quindio
Jose Martin Vasquez, a leader of the Quindio coffee committee, said the coffee harvest advances at 40% with enough pickers.
“There is a broca attack. From cooperative purchasing points they show an impact on the quality and performance factors of 100,” Vasquez said.
According to recorded blooms, the peak harvest is at the end of October.
Quindio’s harvest is divided into 51% for the mountain range municipalities for the first semester and 49% for the second semester.
Cristal Giraldo Velez from the town of Barcelona in Quindio said in higher-altitude coffee areas, the harvest has been delayed.
Coffee growers have said broca has also attacked the country's third-largest coffee producing province of Tolima but those not affected have reported good coffee quality.
Colombia picks its main harvest in September-December, weighting about 61% of total output in the provinces of Antioquia, Quindio, Risaralda, Valle del Cauca and some parts of Huila. Colombia harvests in six of its eastern and central provinces.
By Diana Delgado
