Coffee sector at edge of collapse on US$375.0M losses

Santo Domingo.- Over 90% of Dominican Republic’s coffee growers have gone broke as coffee rust hobbles production and decimates plantations across the country during the last four years.

San Juan Valley coffee growers and farmers grouped in FECADESJ on Tuesday said that most of the country’s 30,000 coffee-growing families “have fallen into indigence because of the decline in production as a result of rust, which has resulted in losses for grain farmers of around 18.0 billion pesos (US$375.0M) in only four years.”

They ask the Chamber of Deputies to hold public hearings and create the Dominican Coffee Institute (INDOCAFE) to replace CODOCAFE, because it their view the latter would end up ruining their sector.

FECADESJ president Meraris Sánchez said production has plunged dramatically during the last two years, “due to the damages caused by the spread of rust and the Agriculture Ministry’s lack of action.”

 

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