Costa Rica Faces Crisis As Labor Shortage Leads To Major Coffee Crop Loss – CoffeeTalk

Costa Rica’s coffee industry is facing a labor shortage, leading to potential losses of up to 10%. Nicaragua’s strict immigration laws and unseasonable rains disrupt the harvest season, making it difficult for many Nicaraguans to come to work in Costa Rica. The Nicaraguan regime of Daniel Ortega has imposed a new law with penalties of two to six years in jail for irregular entry, leaving 15% of the grain unharvested and accumulating on the farm floor. ICAFE reports that not even 50 Nicaraguan laborers have entered the country legally during the current coffee harvesting season. This has affected early maturing areas such as Turrialba, Coto Brus, Pérez Zeledón, and Los Santos. Martín Hidalgo, ICAFE’s technical manager, said that the speed of harvesting was affected, and the atypical December rains caused a significant percentage of the grain to fall. ICAFE is carrying out a campaign to encourage Costa Ricans, especially the younger ones, to go to the countryside, as it can be a good source of income for those unemployed or working informally. The 2023-2024 harvest produced 1,607,406 bushels of coffee, with the end of the harvest scheduled for March 31.

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