SAN JOSE, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Costa Rica's 2023/24 coffee harvest is expected to come in around 13% lower than in the previous season on irregular rains and a lack of labor, according to estimates published by the country's coffee institute ICAFE on Tuesday.
The Central American nation is set to bring in 1.67 million bushels, or nearly 1.3 million 60-kilo bags, of the bean this season, ICAFE said. That comes out to about 241,737 bushels, or 185,000 60-kilo bags, less than in the 2022/23 season.
"Early flowering plus rains in October and November caused a significant drop in the amount of fruit maturing, while at the same time the rains caused mature fruit to crack from excess water," ICAFE's technical head Martin Hidalgo told Reuters.
Costa Rica is one of the world's top coffee producers, with its rich Arabica bean known for its high quality and higher prices in the international market.
Hidalgo also said that laborers from Panama were delayed in arriving for the harvest due to nationwide protests at the end of the year.
Panamanians took to the streets to protest against the contract allowing Canadian miner First Quantum to operate a lucrative copper mine in the country. The contract was found unconstitutional by Panama's Supreme Court in November.
Costa Rica's 2022/23 coffee harvest was "exceptional," ICAFE said, due to fresh crop planting and improved conditions at coffee farms. (Reporting by Alvaro Murillo; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Susan Fenton)
