Conab projects a positive scenario for Brazilian coffee production this year

By Alana Gandra*

The National Coffee Day, celebrated this Wednesday (24), brings producers a positive scenario.

Data from the second estimate for this year’s coffee crop in Brazil, released by the National Supply Company (Conab), indicate that the total national production, including the Arabica and Conilon species, will reach 54.74 million bags, a volume of 7.5% higher than last year’s crop.

Compared to the 2021 harvest, the increase will be 14.7%.

According to Conab, the estimate is still preliminary since the crop cycle is ongoing and also depends on weather factors.

In the same way, the area destined for coffee production in the country shows an expansion of 0.3% over the previous harvest, with a total of 2.25 million hectares, of which 1.87 million hectares are under production, indicating an increase of 1.7%.

The state of Minas Gerais continues to lead the national production ranking.

In Minas Gerais, production for this year is estimated at 27.83 million bags, representing an increase of 26.7% over the volume harvested in the previous harvest.

WOMEN

To celebrate National Coffee Day, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) released today a video in which women coffee producers tell their experiences in the sector.

The video was produced by the project Rural Women’s Observatory of Brazil, developed by Embrapa in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

According to the 2017 Agricultural Census, women are in charge of more than 40,000 agricultural establishments with coffee production in Brazil.

The number represents 13.2% of the 304.5 thousand existing establishments.

Most enterprises are in the Southeast Region, where 72% of the farms are located.

Since, besides the female managers, there are 48,100 women as co-managers, Embrapa estimates that 88,400 women manage and co-manage coffee establishments all over Brazil.

The video highlights that farms managed by women employ more women (43% of the employed staff) than men (only 24%).

Rosa Helena Vieira, one of the female coffee growers in the video, said that until recently, women working in the sector did not say they were coffee growers.

She worked with coffee, but in her documents, she said she was a “housewife”.

Now, however, she presents herself as a producer at Vieira Farm.

“If she is a producer, she has to be recognized as a rural producer.

Embrapa Café researcher Helena Alves, who participated in the analysis of the Agricultural Census data on female participation in coffee growing, highlighted that, in Brazil, women have always been present in this segment throughout the country’s history.

Initially, women appeared as enslaved people and settlers.

Then they became wives and daughters of producers, and today they fight against invisibility and want to have their rights of access to land, credit, training, and remuneration guaranteed, said Helena.

Maria da Penha Almeida, a rural producer in Matas de Minas (MG), talks in the video about her experience in the cooperative and states that she passes on what she learns to other women.

“What I know is not enough. I want to learn and pass on what I know to those just starting,” says Maria da Penha.

IN THE WORLD

A report released in April by the International Coffee Organization (ICO) estimates that world coffee production for the 2022-2023 crop will reach 171.3 million 60-kilo bags, an increase of 1.7% over the previous 2021-2022 crop, which recorded 168.5 million bags.

The report also reveals that global coffee consumption in 2021/2022 increased by 0.6% in physical volume compared to the same period last year, reaching 175.6 million 60-kilo bags.

For the current crop year 2022/2023, world demand is expected to reach around 178.5 million 60-kilo bags.

This represents a 1.7% increase over the same period last year.

According to the ICO, if this happens, the world coffee market will face another year of reduced supply, around 7.3 million 60-kilo bags.

As for exports, the report indicates that in March this year, global sales of green beans totaled 10.9 million 60-kg bags.

Of this number, 3.08 million bags were of green beans of Brazilian Naturals, 960,000 bags of Colombian Milds, 2.11 million bags of Other Milds, and 4.74 million bags of the Robustas type.

Soluble coffee accounted for 10.1% of global exports, also concerning March 2023.

Brazil is the largest exporter of soluble coffee, with foreign sales of 320,000 bags in the month.

*Edited by Nádia Franco.

With information from Agência Brasil

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