Yunnan’s coffee output is expected to drop by over 40% this year due to extreme weathers such as drought and chillness, and fluctuations of market prices, said by the Yunnan Coffee Industry Association on March 23.
“Coffee output in Baoshan was usually around 21 to 22 thousand tons in previous years, while the output within its harvest season this year is only 9,000 tons, not reaching 50% of the output in previous years.
Coffee output in Pu’er this year is estimated to be about 37 thousand tons, decreasing by 30% compared to data recorded last year,” said Li Gongqin, secretary-general of Yunnan Coffee Industry Association.
Li said that up to March 20, coffee harvest in Yunnan has nearly come to an end. The output was only less than 60 thousand tons, with a reduction of over 40% compared to previous years.
Coffee plantation areas were expanded by a third during the past years in Yunnan to 400 thousand mu (26,7000 hectares) , according to Li. Correspondingly, coffee output had risen from 30 thousands tons to more than 80 thousand tons in 2013.
In 2014, coffee plantation areas in Yunnan has been enlarged to over 700 thousand mu (46,000 hectares), on which output of the coffee may get to about 100 thousand tons.
“Before all those coffee trees come to maturity, market prices of the coffees dropped below their costs. This kind of situation made some of coffee farmers lose their confidence to keep growing coffees, resulting in the overall output of coffees in Yunnan dropped down.” said Yang Zhiqi, senior vice chairman of Yunnan Coffee Industry Association.
Source: InKunming
