Climate Change Wreaking Havoc With Jamaica's Coffee Industry – CoffeeTalk

Climate change is causing billions of dollars in losses to Jamaica’s coffee sector, according to industry players. The changing weather patterns are affecting the production of Arabica coffee, leading to a warping of the taste profile of the island’s beloved beverage. Patrick Pitterson, senior director of the Coffee Division at the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA), explained that cool air and moisture had slowed the coffee maturation, resulting in the production of richer, denser, and sweeter coffee. Now, warmer weather and erratic rainfall are affecting the amount harvested and the taste has been altered as well.

Climate change is causing significant losses for Jamaica’s coffee industry, leading to a warping of the taste profile and affecting the production of Arabica coffee. To address these issues, stakeholders must work together to combat climate change and ensure the sustainability of the coffee industry.

The Jamaica Coffee Growers Association (JCGA) has reported significant declines in the production of Blue Mountain and High Mountain coffee over the last 25 years, with the volume of Blue Mountain Coffee down by about 40%. The industry is also facing challenges from increasingly strong and frequent storms, with about 100,000 boxes of coffee lost between Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Rafael. This has led to a loss of about a billion dollars’ worth of coffee during the rain, which affected the road network and made it almost impossible to drive on it.

Growing coffee is a lengthy process that thrives in mountainous areas, with farmers sometimes having to wait up to three years to reap their first crop from newly planted trees. The number of farmers in the industry today is about a third of what it was at the turn of the century. According to the JCGA, Jamaica had around 15,000 farmers just over two decades ago, but now that number has dwindled to around 5,000.

The JCGA president lamented the lack of strategies to increase versatility in the sector, stating that there is literally no adaptation. He stressed the need for cutting-edge technology and government intervention to suit the situation. JACRA is closely monitoring a greenhouse coffee project in Brazil, with the intent to replicate the program locally, depending on its success. Mixing coffee varieties is also in the pipeline, with 23 varieties being considered for selection. Once selected, those varieties are to be reintroduced to the industry to help boost productivity and resilience.

Norman Grant, president of the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association and CEO of Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, expressed confidence in the Crop Restoration and Establishment Programme (CREP), the $1.2-billion Crop Restoration and Establishment Programme between the Government and farmers. He said additional adaptability measures to combat climate change should include planting agro forests with trees to protect coffee plants from severe weather, soil conservation methods, and better road networks. Insurance is another major component, and Grant called on the minister of agriculture and various Members of Parliament to allocate money to protect the industry from continuous shocks.

Grant believes that increasing productivity is the key to longevity, and in just two years, production can increase by 100% by just increasing productivity. He called on the minister of agriculture and various Members of Parliament to allocate money to protect the industry from continuous shocks. He added that managing climate change is not eliminating it, but rather how strategies are implemented to reduce and mitigate it and put coffee farmers back into as good a position as possible after the disaster.

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