While we are lucky here in Boquete where some of the world’s best coffee is grown, a lot of places are suffering because a few countries are over producing and flooding the market with poorer quality product, the stuff you see in Maxwell House and the like.

The price for delivery in December in New York, at the close of November 13th, was $146 per quintal, the lowest level in the last two years.

In the view of the president of the National Coffee Association (Anacafe), Ricardo Villanueva, the dip in price undermines local production.

According to the executive “… the fall in prices is due to large crops in Brazil and Vietnam expanding the global supply to 147 million bags, when global demand is 139 million bags.

The price of $146 is below the cost of production. For a farmer with financing, the cost of production per quintal is U.S. $185, for those who have resources costs are U.S. $160 per quintal. We are in crisis”, reported Elperiodico.com.gt.