coffee rust

The Guatemalan coffee producers seem to be in a race of challenges on the issue of coffee rust a few years ago thanks to the uncertainties on the three varieties resistant to the fungus, which spurred officials to take a stand against the replanting now.
Outbreaks of coffee leaf rust in Central America have caused even greater losses in the Guatemala production than originally thought, said the Department of Agriculture (USDA), reducing its forecast for 2013/14 at 480.000 bags for 3,42 million bags.

The attack of rust on coffee plantations of El Salvador is in its phase of maximum infection, according Adán Hernández , in charge of integrated pest of coffee Procafé Foundation program.
The expert stated that, at this stage, the coffee plantations have largely affected the leaves, situation manifested by spots or blotches that appear on the leaves.

The Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (ICAFE) will provide producers seeds and coffee seedlings of the variety Obatã , which has high tolerance to rust .
Since 2012, this disease causes much damage to coffee production in the country due to the decrease in the attention of the coffee plantations and climatic aspects. The technical manager of ICAFE, Ramírez explained that Obatã variety is a plant type Sarchimores (cross between the variety Villa Sarchí and the Timor Hybrid), originating in Brazil.

The rust, a fungal disease that recently dropped to 30% of some coffee plantations of Andean countries and Central America, should not disturb the production of Arabica mild this season, said officials and experts during the ICO (International Coffee Organization) conference in Belo Horizonte.
Colombia and Mexico, two major producers in the region, should not suffer significant losses for the disease that can destroy entire crops if not properly controlled by spraying, making green fruits fall from the trees.

The pest control of coffee rust and coffee plantations renewal program will allow a steady growth of beans production in Colombia in 2014, said on Wednesday Juan Esteban Orduz, president of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia.
"The problem of coffee rust is under control, thanks in part to the production of varieties resistant to this fungus and renovation program coffee plantations", said Juan Orduz who participates in Belo Horizonte meeting of the 50th anniversary of the International Coffee Organization (ICO).

Representatives of the coffee industry in Central America report that the harvest of Arabica coffee is being hit by an outbreak of rust, according to the Reuters site.
Small producers like Graciela Alvarenga, who has a planted area of less than 1 hectare in the region of El Paraíso, Honduras, near the border with Nicaragua, was so struck that now uses the leaves and twigs of their coffee plants as firewood. "I think it will not produce anything this year," said Graciela Alvarenga. "We almost lost the whole farm."

The coffee crop of Guatemala in the period 2013/2014 may have a drop of 40%, informed the local media and the National Coffee Association (Anacafé). The motive of the attack is called roya fungus that causes coffee rust. Should be harvested 2.4 million quintals, which is equivalent to 240 tons. In the period 2011/2012, were 4.8 million quintals (480.000 tons). In the period 2012/2013 were 4.1 million (410 thousand tons). Under the direction of Anacafé losses occurred in crops where farmers have not applied a second dose of fungicide on plants infected by the fungus roya.

With the worsening of the outbreak of coffee rust in social and economic terms, the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia (NFC) will host a seminar to this reality, in order to share information and increase their visibility.
In 2008, Colombia had suffered the devastating effects of the outbreak of coffee rust. In direct response to recent outbreaks in Central America and Peru, the body promoted several initiatives, in late 2012, to help find solutions through the sharing of experiences and collaboration with colleagues from Central America.

The Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization (ICO), Robério Silva in an exclusive interview with Coffee Break, said the situation of coffee producers of the five countries he visited in Central America is "distressing and disturbing." Robério visited Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica to check closely the damage caused by the outbreak of rust in coffee. "Come on in the crop and realized what caused the disease, all the foliage is on the ground," said the director of the ICO.

The abandonment of traditional techniques of coffee cultivation and indiscriminate use of pesticides and fungicides is increasing dramatically the spread of rust fungus that is affecting crops and coffee plantations in Central America and Mexico, informed the ecologist John Vandermeer, from the University of Michigan.
Ecologist conducted scientific studies on organic coffee plantation in southern Chiapas, Mexico, for 15 years.