Scant Rainfall Recorded in Some Coffee-Producing Areas of Colombia, After strong Droughts
Scant Rainfall Recorded in Some Coffee-Producing Areas of Colombia, After strong Droughts
Coffee Network (Bogota)- Scant rainfall has been reported in some coffee-producing areas of Colombia but the majority of the seven coffee growers polled by Coffee Network said they need more rains to allow the proper development of the upcoming coffee harvest.
In the southeast of the Antioquia province, the largest producing area for this department- the second-largest producing province, two millimeters of rainfall was reported two days ago. The amount of rainfall is insignificant for large coffee plantations located in the municipalities of Bolivar, Andes among others, large coffee grower Juan Alvaro Arboleda said.
Coffee plantations from the southeast of Antioquia can withstand eight consecutive weeks without rainfall to allow a massive flowering, but those plantations need rainfall in March or April to ensure a proper harvest in September-December when they report their main harvest.
Coffee plantations in Bolivar recorded a good flowering on 24 December, and another one last week. They expect good flowerings in February
Antioquia also has a secondary harvest called mitaca. But that harvest is already damaged as coffee plantations are too dry, Arboleda noted.
Colombia has been experiencing intense drought since January with El Nino disturbances producing high temperatures. The El Nino weather pattern is expected to last until April, the IDEAM government weather office says. But February is expected to be the hottest month, Ideam added.
Out of the 1,100 municipalities that the country has, more than 90% of those are on red alert of potential forest fires. This number is almost twice as much as the 495 municipalities were on red alert, reported early last week. The red alert comes as the municipalities have reported for five consecutive days temperatures above the average, Ideam said.
Colombia's dry season usually comes in the first quarter, but so far 2024 has been hotter than usual due to El Nino.
Mauricio Rivera, general manager of the Huila coffee cooperative Coocentral, said rainfall has not been reported in Huila yet. He confirmed that some coffee plantations are spoiled with the intense weather. Rivera believes that if rainfall does not come soon, thousands of coffee-hectares in Huila will look the same.
Santander rainfall comes
In the eastern province of Santander, one of the department most affected by forest fires with over 500 hectares already destroyed by fires, a strong rainfall was recorded two days ago.
Maria Fernanda Rey, a large coffee grower in the municipality of La Mesa de Los Santos, said the rainfall came on the right time. The rainfall will allow coffee growers like her to fertilize the land of its plantations that were recently cut via the zoca method. She will also fertilize the land that is currently undergoing flowering.
“We are taking advantage of this rainfall that is a god’s gift to fertilize as this will ensure the proper harvest in the future,”she said.
In the Central province of Cundinamarca, about ten days ago recorded some rainfall in the town of Subia and three days ago a strong rainfall was recorded in Villeta, which mitigated the need for water and gave a small boost to the crops to sustain the small harvest that comes with the New Year
“Logically, at least three or four downpours would be needed in February to sustain the grains and begin to nourish the main harvest that arrives in May, in this part of the country, in the Sumapaz Region,” coffee grower Miguel Caldero from the Viota region said.
By Diana Delgado
