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Robusta seeding project seeks to meet coffe demand
Posted On 23 Jul 2015
According to PROECUADOR, last year $178 million in coffe were exported, of that amount, $ 153 million correspond to soluble extracts. It is estimated that about 199,000 hectares of coffee farmland are distributed among Loja, Manabi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Sucumbios and Orellana, said Victor Jurado, executive director of PROECUADOR.
Of these, 139,000 hectares are of the Arabica variety and 62,000 of Robusta, the latter used primarily in the production of soluble products. For exporters, this production is still insufficient.
According to Pablo Pinargote, manager of the National Association of Coffee Exporters (Anecafe for its Spanish acronym), the lack of raw materials has led to a fall in exports of about 60% in three years.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, 87% of coffee production is destined for export and 13% for the local market. The United States absorbs, on average, 24.6% of world exports, followed by Germany in the European Union (EU).
In order to deal with the lack of this input, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries (Magap) undertook a reactivation project for coffee, which includes the renewal of crops, the granting of seeds and arabica and robusta plants, as well as the implementation of greenhouses, pruning and permanent technical assistance.
