Coffee production in Côte d’Ivoire fell by 61.6 percent from the first nine months of 2022 to the first nine months of 2023, according to the Ivorian Department of Policy and Economic Statistics (DPPSE). Many farmers have given up planting coffee trees due to the low price of raw coffee beans in recent years and rising labor costs.
Unfavorable climatic conditions, heavy weeding, and low farm-gate prices …… Ivorian farmer Adro Kouassi Nestor listed a long list of reasons why he has gradually given up growing coffee. “This is the purchase price set by the Cocoa and Coffee Management Board,” he showed reporters, along with the fact that labor has also become scarce, leading to declining coffee production. “Working in the coffee fields is actually very stressful, especially during the harvest.” He continues, “If you don’t have the manpower, you can’t do it. And then the prices are also disinteresting. So this means that coffee is neglected while other crops such as cocoa and rubber are favored by farmers. “
Farmer Nestor walks through his 50-square-meter field and the coffee berries are ripe, the report continues. But he is having trouble finding farm workers to pick them. Red ants interfere with the pickers, and it’s a long and careful picking process that must be done in several stages. He explains, “You have to go step by step, pick those ripe fruits and then turn back. A whole lot of questions!”
Abandoned coffee fields could lead to Robusta coffee shortage
Reports indicate that the various restrictions and the amount of time spent on it de-motivates him and sometimes even causes him not to pick the harvest. For Nestor, he stated that coffee was not his main crop, despite splitting the coffee fields. He summarized by stating, “When the fruit is ripe, I can’t find anyone to pick it, and considering the time it takes to pick and the price people are willing to pay, I’d rather give up the coffee harvest.” Even if the State sets the farm-gate price at 900 CFA francs per kilogram for the 2023-2024 season, compared to 700 CFA francs per kilogram the previous year, a slight rebound.
Etienne Papou is a coffee grower and cocoa certification expert. He refers to the impact of climate change on crops. It’s true that the price of coffee has risen dramatically in recent years, but some producers have cut down their trees in favor of rubber, palm or cocoa,” he notes. A few who planted coffee trees have simply abandoned them and turned them into wasteland. “
Côte d’Ivoire produces almost exclusively Robusta coffee, with annual production ranging from 500,000 to 100,000 tons, three times less than in the 1970s. Robusta production is also declining globally. Climate change is a direct threat to the coffee industry; experts even predict a shortage of Robusta coffee by 2040.
Impact of climate change and market dynamics
The main producers of Robusta coffee beans are Indonesia, Vietnam and West African countries centered on Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria and Angola.
In fact, Côte d’Ivoire has never produced coffee of the highest quality, and very little of it comes from the Arabica tree. In the early 1980s, it was the third largest coffee producer in the world, with an annual production of 5 million bags. Even today it is the fifth largest coffee producer in the world, with an annual production of 4.4 million bags. In terms of coffee production, Côte d’Ivoire is second only to Indonesia (6.8 million bags per year).
In the 1980s Ivorian coffee yielded only 250 kilograms per hectare. This situation was partly due to poverty, but also to the ageing of the coffee trees. Lack of investment and the absence of a long-term business plan also affected coffee yields. Additionally, the agricultural sector in Côte d’Ivoire has faced numerous challenges, including inadequate infrastructure and limited access to modern farming techniques.
Although, the Government of Côte d’Ivoire has begun to take positive measures to reverse this situation, the National Coffee Board has been reorganized and streamlined, and some production activities have been transferred to private companies. The Government had guaranteed minimum prices to farmers producing high-quality coffee and encouraged exporters to buy directly from farmers. Currently, 80 per cent of exported coffee is found in European Union countries, with France and Italy being the main buyers.
However, it is worth noting that Côte d’Ivoire is the main center of coffee smuggling, as early as in 1993-1994, as much as 2,600 tons of coffee was smuggled, the main route is through Mali and Guinea, two neighboring countries.
It is understood that the Robusta coffee tree can withstand high temperatures, cold, drought, humidity, resistance to pests and diseases and adaptability of the characteristics of the flat ground can grow very well, but unfortunately, the production of coffee beans, the aroma is more lack of strong bitterness (more caffeine for the sake of), acidity is not enough, and therefore mostly used for instant coffee, coffee cans, or brewing type of three-in-one coffee.
