El Salvador works to reach a greater coffee production each year and, above all, increase exports to different destinations in the world. In this scenario, this week, the Vice Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Óscar Domínguez, assured that last year sales of coffee in international markets doubled.
“Salvadoran coffee exports increased by more than 50% last year, and the production of the golden grain has already exceeded one million quintals,” said the official.
The data presented by Domínguez is supported by the Central Reserve Bank (BCR), which reveals that during 2022, coffee exports registered a 59.2% increase compared to 2021.
The BCR detailed that at the end of last year, El Salvador exported $176.8 million to the whole world, while in 2021 it was $111.1 million.
In volume, coffee sales also reported an increase, with a total of 33.9 million kilograms of coffee, while in 2021 they totaled 29.9 million kilograms.
The figures reflect that the coffee sector is thriving and that the actions implemented by the government of President Nayib Bukele have been successful.
Likewise, BCR data indicates that the main buyers of Salvadoran coffee are the United States with $74.1 million in gold coffee, Mexico with $106,400, Germany with $15.6 million, Japan with $12.1 million, Italy with $9.9 million, Saudi Arabia with $5.6 million, Qatar with $9,922 million, and Australia with $5.4 million.
The visit of the Japanese company Woodberry Coffee, which returned for the second consecutive year to purchase up to five tons of coffee after the success and acceptance achieved with the first shipment purchased in 2022, reflects the interest of international markets in Salvadoran coffee.
The reactivation of national coffee growing, which is being carried out by the Government, includes the renewal of some 5,400 coffee manzanas in the six mountain ranges of the country.
According to Domínguez, for this year the government will invest $14.3 million to benefit the producers of the golden grain as well as the nurserymen’s union.
One of the actions includes the distribution of healthy and certified plants, an action that will begin on June 1 of this year with the idea of taking advantage of the winter for a better development of these.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the purpose is for coffee growers to receive the coffee trees in time to advance in the repopulation of the coffee park as part of the Sustainable Coffee Transformation and Takeoff Program.
On the other hand, he indicated that they will also work on the commercialization of the gold bean, through the “coffee shop” initiative of Café de El Salvador, which will favor the national price, since small coffee growers will be able to participate in the sale.