Authorities of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) announced the start of the 2023-2024 coffee harvest in the province of Chiriquí, an event that is repeated every year and that triggers a significant economic boom for both the province and the country.

Alexis Bonilla, in charge of the MIDA Coffee Program in Chiriquí, stressed that for this season an improvement in production is expected compared to the previous cycle, due to the decrease in rainfall, which will reduce the presence of pests that may affect the crop.

Currently, the harvest is concentrated in the lower and middle area of the Renaissance district, where two processing companies are already acquiring coffee. At the end of the harvest, an approximate production of one hundred and ten thousand quintals (110,000 qq) of coffee is expected, with the participation of more than two thousand five hundred coffee growers and a total of more than six thousand hectares in effective production.

Bonilla pointed out that the areas of Jaramillo and Palmira, in the district of Boquete, have also begun grain harvesting and that production in general is directed towards the national market and the most demanding markets that demand the so-called “special coffees of Panama.”

These details were shared during a recent meeting of coffee growers organized by MIDA technicians at the La Ponderosa farm, owned by producer Edgar Gutiérrez, located in Cordillera, Boquerón district. In that event, issues related to the management of the crop were addressed, with the aim of improving both the production of the grain and the quality of the drink obtained from it.