Organic coffee prices boom

02 July 1999

Organic coffee prices boom

MEXICAN organic coffee growers are able to command prices more than a third higher than growers who use chemicals, reports the Financial Times.

An early adoption of organic farming practice has also paid dividends on the countrys exports, says the paper.

Since pioneering the first crop in 1967, Mexico has become the worlds leading producer, harvesting 60,000 60kg sacks for export to Europe, the USA and Japan.

But one problem preventing a wider uptake of the practice has been a difficulty over certification because some illiterate farmers are unable to go through the protracted process.

The Oaxaca State Coffee Producers Network (CEPCO), an umbrella organisation representing 45 state co-operatives, wants to convert all of its 23,000 members to organic coffee.

At present, less than 3% of its small landholders are certified.

CEPCO is also seeking to obtain a special kind of certification to reflect the organisations concerns with coffee production involving care for the environment.

• Financial Times 02/07/99 page 26