A towering machine rumbles through the fields of Julio Rinco's farm in the ...
SAO JOAO DA BOA VISTA, Brazil - A towering machine rumbles through the fields of Julio Rinco’s farm in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, engulfing whole coffee trees and shaking free beans that are collected by conveyor belts in its depths.
Rival producers elsewhere in the world are increasingly likely to be driven to the margins, unable to make money from a crop they have grown for generations. Some are already turning to alternative crops while others are abandoning their farms completely. Rinco bought his harvesting machine for around 600,000 reais and is paying the agricultural supplies company with coffee, delivering 400 bags a year over four years. This kind of bartering is common in Brazilian farming.
Vietnam is also regularly setting production records while, by contrast, in Colombia the largest ever crop was harvested in the early 1990s and in Guatemala nearly two decades ago, USDA data shows. Today, his farm has equipment including an underground dripping irrigation system with artificial intelligence, considered the world’s most advanced.
Prices have since recovered slightly but remain at a level where few producers outside Brazil and Vietnam can make money.Arabica beans, which provide a smoother and sweeter taste, constitute nearly two-thirds of the world’s coffee. More bitter and stronger robusta beans largely make up the rest of global supply, much of them hailing from Vietnam.
“Every tiny bit of space will be taken up by these little beans,” Tuan added. “We have to hire additional warehouses nearby for extra storage.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Amazon Rainforest in Brazil Is Burning, and You Can See the Damage from SpaceHere's how you can help the rainforest, even if you don't live in Brazil.
Read more »
Raging rainforest fires darken skies in Brazil, inspire #prayforamazoniaA record level of fires in Brazil’s Amazon region has been linked to an increase in deforestation, inspiring a prayforamazonia social media campaign to bring awareness to the blazes destroying the rainforest.
Read more »
Brazil president says nongovernmental organizations could be setting Amazon firesBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is suggesting that nongovernmental organizations could be to blame for an unusually high number of wildfires in the Amazon.
Read more »
Exclusive: Philips, under investigation in U.S. and Brazil, fired whistleblower who warned of graftHealthcare giant Philips was warned of suspicious sales of its medical equipment...
Read more »
Hijacker shot dead after taking 37 people hostage on a bus in BrazilA man who took a bus and its 37 passengers hostage on a bridge in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro was shot dead on Tuesday by a police sniper, according to authorities.
Read more »
TÜV SÜD pulls out of dam safety checks after Brazil disasterGermany's TÜV SÜD has pulled out of conducting safety assessments of dams a...
Read more »