Coffee: Growing, Processing, Sustainable Production: A Guidebook for Growers, Processors, Traders, and Researchers

1021 Pages·2004·61.42 MB·English

by  Jean Nicolas Wintgens

Coffee:
Growing, Processing,
Sustainable Production
Edited by
Jean Nicolas Wintgens
Coffee is natural and bliss,
Coffee is fascinating.
Meike Hiihne
Related Titles
lvon Flament, Yvonne BessiPre Thomas
Coffee Flavor Chemistry
ISBN: 0-471-72038-0
2001
Gunther Voss, Gerard0 Ramos
Chemistry of Crop Protection
Progress and Prospects in Science and Regulation
ISBN: 3-527-30540-8
2002
j. Philip Grime
Plant Strategies, Vegetation Processes,
and Ecosystem Properties
ISBN: 0-471-49601-4
2001
Coffee:
Growing, Processing,
S us tai na ble Produ cti o n
A Guidebook for Growers, Processors, Traders, and Researchers
Edited by
Jean Nicolas Wintgens
WILEY-
VCH
WILEY-VCH Verlag CmbH & Co. KCaA
Editor: All books published by Wiley-VCH are carefully pro-
duced. Nevertheless, authors, editor, and publisher do
Jean Nicolos Wintgens not warrant the information contained in these books,
Chemin des Cornalles 27 including this book, to be free of errors. Readers are
1802 Corseaux advised to keep in mind that statements, data, illustra-
Switzerland tions, procedural details or other items may inadvertently
e-mail: [email protected] he inaccurate.
Phones: 0041 21 921 2608 (Switzerland)
0052333 1229543 (phone & fax Mexico) Library of Congress Card No.: applied for
Fax: [phone]
British Library Cataloguing-in-PublicationD ata.
A catalogue record for this book is available from
the British Library.
Bibliographic information published by
Die Deutsche Bibliothek
Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication
in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;
detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at
<http://dnb.ddb.de>
0 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA,
Weinheim 2004
All rights reserved (including those of translation
into other languages). No part of this book may be
reproduced in any form - nor transmitted or translated
into a machine language without written permission
from the publishers. Registered names, trademarks, etc.
used in this book, even when not specifically marked
as such, are not to be considered unprotected by law.
Printed in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Printed on acid-free paper.
Composition hagedorn kommunikation, Viernheim
Printing Druckhaus Darmstadt GmbH, Darmstadt
Bookbinding Litges & Dopf Buchbinderei GmbH,
Heppenheim
ISBN 3-527-30731-1
Dedication
To my Parents for all the sacnjkes they made for their children.
May the Lord they believed in give them peace and serenity.
To my w$e Ema for her unflagging support and encouragement as well
as discerning advice, during the years it took me to complete this book.
To the cofee growers world-wide, many of whom now labour
for so little reward.
To my unfilled dreams of becoming a cofee planter.
Jean Nicolas Wintgens
Cofee. Edited by Jean Nicolas Wintgens
Copyright 0 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ISBN: 3-527-30731-1
Foreword
During the last two decades major changes coffee in relation to prevailing demand
have been taking place in worldwide coffee and the consequent very low prices pre-
production. The most significant of these sently being paid for coffee on world mar-
changes has been the massive increase kets. The over production of coffee may
in the quantities produced. ICO statistics be largely attributed to the development
show consistently increasing production le- of new land for coffee plantations, espe-
vels particularly over the last 15 years reach- cially in countries like Brazil and Vietnam,
ing a record level of 120 million GO kg bags and to the rapid progress in increasing cof-
in 2002. Over the same period there has fee yields which has occurred in most cof-
been a significant decrease in the average fee producing countries in recent decades,
price paid for coffee on world markets as a result of the application of new tech-
which fell to USD cents 47 per pound in nologies and the introduction of new coffee
2002 compared to 120 cents in the 1980s. varieties.
The basic cause of the decline in coffee This book provides a good understand-
prices has been one of oversupply with ing of the technologies which have been re-
the increase in coffee production in recent sponsible for increasing coffee yields and
years outstripping demand by several per- has obviously been written for a wide audi-
centage points. There has been a steady ence including coffee specialists, students
accumulation of large stocks of coffee, par- of tropical and sub-tropical agriculture
ticularly in importing countries, which and practical farmers.
have put additional downward pressure However it has been noted that, in many
on coffee prices. Thus in recent times cases, the adoption of modern intensive
many coffee producing countries have husbandry practices (no shade, high ferti-
seen a catastrophic decline in export earn- liser use, heavy use of agro-chemicals for
ings despite increasing production, and pest and disease control, etc.) produces
the incomes of many coffee farmers have high yields for a few years but these high
been reduced to the point at which they yields are not sustainable in the long
are struggling to survive. The impact on term. Consequently the importance of
the finances of millions of small farmers adopting cultivation practices that will sup-
in lesser developed countries has reached port and sustain coffee production into the
crisis proportions. foreseeable future is a theme that is recur-
This book has been produced against a rent throughout the book.
general background of over production of
Coffee. Edited by lean Nicolas Wintgens
Copyright 0 2004 WILEY-VCH Veriag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ISBN: 3-527-30731-1
The diversification of cropping within knowledge of the coffee crop through ex-
the coffee plantations, the use of locally periences in many different coffee produc-
produced organic matter and the establish- ing countries across the globe. The varied
ment of shade are particularly appropriate backgrounds of the contributors to this
for the small coffee growers when the book (in terms of history, language, envir-
prices being received for green coffee will onmental conditions, economic circum-
no longer support the use of costly inputs stances, research facilities and experience,
of synthetic fertilisers and other agro-che- etc) greatly add to its value as a reference
micals. work for the future. Also the many excel-
In addition, higher quality of coffee, lent and easily-understandable illustrations
which commands a higher price, can be contained in the book greatly enhance its
obtained with more extensive low cost cul- value as a teaching aid.
tivation techniques. Lower costs and higher This book is particularly important in
prices for quality beans may increase crop that it signposts the future for coffee as a
profitability. In this context the potential crop. In the future it is desirable that coffee
for organic coffee production has been production should be sustainable, prefer-
amply described. ably grown by small farmers under exten-
An excellent account of the coffee pro- sive systems of cultivation that ensure the
duction cycle together with a section on protection of the soil and maintain satisfac-
modern harvesting techniques and on the tory yields of good quality green coffee.
latest technology in field processing is
also included, as well as aspects of com-
mercialisation, storage and shipment of
green coffee.
Finally, a rapid overview of the present
economics of coffee production, followed
by a glimpse into potential new fields of
action for the future, complete the book. Nestor Osorio
The many authors who have contributed Executive Director
to this book have gained their specialist International Coffee Organisation
Preface
of the northern hemisphere. Coffee was
The origins of coffee and historical
grown in mixed plantations under shade
development trends
in conditions which matched the forest con-
The history of coffee begins in Ethiopia ditions where naturally occurring coffee
where local people have been drinking cof- was initially discovered. Efforts to increase
fee for many centuries. The advantages of coffee yields were largely dependent on
the spontaneous growth of coffee trees of the development and improvement of cof-
the species Coffea arabica were recognized fee varieties through the selection of super-
and developed at a very early stage. At ior individual trees and their multiplication,
the beginning of the Bthc entury, visiting either through seed as in the case of Coffea
Arab traders also found the drink agreeable arabica or through vegetative propagation
and, from then on, coffee was shipped to in the case of Coffea cunephora var. robusta.
the Arabian peninsular. A demand for cof- After the end of the Second World War
fee quickly developed amongst the peoples and during the second half of the 20th cen-
of Arabia and coffee plantations were es- tury, major changes took place in the life-
tablished in Yemen. Later, during the style of the populations in developed coun-
18th and 19th centuries, there was a steady tries. As income levels rose, millions of
expansion of coffee drinking throughout people were able to enjoy luxuries, includ-
the world and arabica coffee was exported ing coffee, that had previously been the do-
to many countries, with the source plant- main of a rich minority. There was a huge
ing material originating from either Ethio- increase in the demand for coffee and cof-
pia or Yemen. fee producing countries rose to the chal-
Coffea canephoru var. robusta was identi- lenge. The major coffee producing coun-
fied later on from more diverse origins in tries were in the forefront of the research
the forests of tropical central Africa and and development effort that was launched
was later transferred to many lowland areas to expand coffee production to meet the
of Africa as well as to tropical countries of rapidly increasing demand. National re-
Asia and the Americas. Nevertheless, de- search efforts have been ably supported
spite the wide distribution of the coffee by a number of international research
crop, production remained at a relatively bodies and private companies with an in-
low level through the first half of the 20th terest in coffee.
century, chiefly because it was still regarded Before the mid-20th century, efforts to
as a luxury item in the developed countries improve coffee yields had concentrated on
Coffee. Edited by lean Nicolas Wintgens
Copyright 0 2004 WILEY-VCH Veriag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ISBN: 3-527-30731-1
I
Preface
traditional methods of varietal improve- slightly from 2002. Consumption in im-
ment using simple selection techniques. porting countries is estimated at 85 million
Following the increasing demand for coffee bags, up significantly from 82 million bags
and associated rising prices paid for the in 2002. Opening stocks in exporting coun-
crop, the incentive to exploit every avenue tries were pegged at 20 million bags in
for raising coffee yields was extensively de- 2003/04 compared with 19 million bags
veloped. More sophisticated breeding tech- in the preceding year, while stocks in con-
niques were introduced to raise the inher- suming countries, including free ports,
ent productive potential of the varieties were estimated at 20 million bags, a similar
being planted and to overcome disease amount to the preceding year. At the end of
and pest problems. New intensive produc- the coffee year 2003/04, world stocks of cof-
tion methods were introduced on commer- fee are forecast to decline to 29 million
cial plantations to increase yield levels. bags, compared to 40 million bags of cof-
Traditional methods of coffee cultivation fee, or 2.4 million tons, in 2002/03. This
under shade trees were discarded in favour current situation marks the reversal of
of monoculture plantations. The use of in- the trend of the previous decade that
organic fertilisers replaced organic man- showed an average production increase of
ures and mulching. Clean weeding became 3.6% per annum over preceding years
normal practice with the introduction of but a rise of only 1.5% per annum in de-
mechanised cultivation and the use of mand levels.
highly efficient selective herbicides, which The new trend towards significant under
replaced occasional weeding, carried out production is the predictable consequence
by manual labour using simple hand of over production of coffee that has been
tools and, in some cases, the use of cover accompanied by a drop in coffee prices
crops as a weed control measure. Similarly on world markets. The fall began in 1999
insect pest problems have been controlled and reached historic lows in 2002. In the
with the application of a wide range of pes- 1980's coffee prices on world markets aver-
ticides and new techniques have been de- aged around 120 US cents per lb but 2002
veloped to deal with recently identified prices fell to 42 US cents per lb, compared
problems of nematodes and diseases. to 179 US cents per lb in 1998.
The fall in prices has resulted in a dra-
matic reduction in the export earnings of
Current situation in the coffee trade world-wide
coffee producing countries. In the early
Total world production in the coffee year 1990's the total value of coffee exports on
2003/04 (October-September) will reach world markets (exports f.0.b.) was US$ 10
101 million bags (GO kg bags) or 6.06 mil- - 12 billion but the value shrunk to little
lion tons, a fall of 15 percent from produc- more than US$ 5.0 billion in 2002.
tion of 119 million bags, or 7.14 million Over 125 million people are largely de-
tons, recorded during the preceding year. pendent on the income generated by their
In 2003, world consumption is estimated coffee crop for their livelihood. Moreover,
to be just over 112 million bags, or 6.72 a number of countries rely on the sale of
million tons, compared to 109 million coffee for a major part of their national in-
bags, or 6.54 tons, in 2002. Domestic con- come and, more importantly, their foreign
sumption in exporting countries in 2003/ exchange earnings. In both Uganda and
04 is estimated to be 27 million bags, up Burundi, for instance, 90% of the GNP is