Coffee sales fall by $1.9M

Hawaii coffee farmers suffered production setbacks this past season due to bugs and dry weather, but higher prices offset some of the decline, according to a preliminary estimate in a government report tracking the industry.

Coffee farmers statewide produced 7.6 million pounds of beans for sale during the 2011-12 season that wrapped up earlier this year, a 14 percent drop from 8.8 million pounds in the prior season, according to the report by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The average price per pound of coffee paid to farmers, however, rose 9 percent to $4.15 in the recent season from $3.80 in the prior season. The price increase added $2.7 million to total industry sales of $31.5 million. Sales in the previous season (2010 to 2011) totaled $33.4 million.

This past season was the lowest for production in four years, while industry sales ranked second highest in the same period.

The number of farms and acreage planted in coffee has remained unchanged over the last three years at 830 farms and 8,000 acres, though only 6,300 acres are harvested annually, according to the report.

The report said the coffee berry borer beetle remains a major industry concern, but farmers are learning new techniques to manage infestations and limit the spread of the insect.

A native of Central Africa, the tiny beetle bores into coffee beans to lay eggs. Larvae eat the beans and thus reduce the quality and yield of a farm’s crop.

State Department of Agriculture officials sounded an alert about the beetle in 2010 after it was documented on several farms in Hawaii island’s Kona region, but they suspect the pest had established itself there several years before. Farms in the Kau region of Hawaii island also have been affected. How the bug arrived in Hawaii is not known.