Nicaragua: Cultivators of favorite hot beverage in crisis

JINOTEGA, Nicaragua — Coffee growers in northern Nicaragua recount how they suffer from the brunt of climate change, a lack of finance and dwindling international prices that don’t cover the cost of production. 

"We have to take into account what climate change is. Studies conducted 20 years ago have shown that the climate can affect crop yields by up to 60-65%," Saulo Zeledón, Coffee producer from Aranjuez, Matagalpa said.

"Another issue is international pricing which today is less than $100 for a quintal (100kg). This means that a lot of producers can't even cover production costs for their yield. Today producers are losing out on every quintal of coffee they produce," Victor López, Coffee production manager of Finca "Los Papales" of Agrícola Industrial Angelina López also said.