Bad weather and a lingering pest problem delivered major blows to Hawaii coffee farmers this past season, according to a new report that estimates production of one of the biggest crops in the state fell 16 percent.

On top of that, prices farmers received for their beans slipped 6 percent, the report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

The price and production declines combined to cut the total value of Hawaii’s coffee crop by about $13 million, or 21 percent, to $49.2 million last season from the previous season’s $62.6 million value.

Kathy King, statistician for the Hawaii Department of Agriculture who assisted with the report, said most of the production decline stemmed from bad weather that included horrendous rain last summer that knocked flowers off coffee trees and reduced fruiting.

Damage from a pest called the coffee berry borer also reduced the number of trees that produced saleable coffee cherries, the report said. The amount of land statewide with coffee trees bearing fruit dropped 12 percent last season to 6,900 acres from 7,800 acres the previous season.

“(Coffee berry borer) remains a concern for the industry, though controlling measures are showing signs of progress,” the report said.

The decline in Hawaii’s coffee industry value last season represented a second consecutive annual decrease from a record that was set two seasons ago.

Coffee harvesting in Hawaii occurs year-round, with a main harvest that normally begins in late summer and extends to early the following year. The new report covers the season that began last summer. The figures for prices and value are preliminary estimates based on a survey of farmers on Oahu, Hawaii island, Maui, Molokai and Kauai.

The new report cannot be fairly compared with USDA coffee industry data going back more than two seasons because of a change the agency made in measuring coffee production, prices and value.

The USDA now measures coffee production, prices and value by cherry coffee, which is the bean still covered by its fruit when picked from trees.

Figures for the last two seasons were based on cherry coffee. But for prior annual reports, the USDA measured parchment coffee, or beans that are still covered by a fibrous membrane after the fruit has been removed. Removing the membrane leaves green coffee beans that can then be roasted.

Hawaii coffee farmers sell their beans in all three forms — cherry, parchment and green — though most sell cherry coffee. Prior reports converted everything to parchment equivalents.

King said the change to a cherry coffee measurement was made because the state wanted to report the size of the coffee crop prior to processing.

Removing the fruit and membrane represents processing that adds to the price farmers receive for their crop.

Measuring cherry coffee production and prices gives a truer value of the crop as more farms have begun milling and selling green beans, she explained.

Last season, Hawaii farmers produced 33.2 million pounds of cherry coffee. USDA said that compared with 36.8 million pounds of cherry coffee in the prior season. Production for earlier seasons hasn’t been measured in cherry coffee. Typically 100 pounds of cherry coffee will yield about 20 to 25 pounds of parchment coffee or 15 pounds of green coffee.

The average price per pound last season for coffee cherry was $1.61, down from $1.72 the prior season. The report also said the average price per pound farmers received for parchment coffee was $8.98 last season, down from $9.12 the prior season. For green coffee the price per pound was $15.24, up from $12.55 in the same comparable period.