Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/491377
STiR tea & coffee industry international 45 dium and large-scale producers. But in the mean- time, the government had allocated the remaining $48 million in the kitty to pay for roads and other infrastructure. "They used the money that was supposed to fund the coffee sector. Banks have authorized loans for $32 million and coffee producers are waiting to invest in their plantations, but the gov- ernment is now offering them only 10 million quetzales (about $1.5 million)," Medina said. "This makes a mockery of the coffee business." Last summer, Starbucks and Green Mountain — two major U.S. buyers of Guatemala's prized arabica coffee — teamed up with the U.S. Agency for International Development, reported NPR. com. Together they have pooled more than $23 million to offer financing to repair crops and fight the scourge. "Rust is something that can be prevented, but it cannot be totally eradicat- ed," said Medina. "We have an alert system that we've been developing through two methods: meteorological stations all over the country, and technicians con- stantly monitoring the severity of rust in farms, as well as weather, temperature, rain and relative humidity. That way, we can decide if we think a certain area needs to be sprayed with fungicide sooner than we were recommending." Last June, Medina's association unveiled a new variety, Anacafé-14, which is a hybrid between the Pacamara and Catimor plants. "It's very productive, rust-resistant and has a big cup quality, so we're recommend planting it in the places where rust is most likely to appear and at lower altitudes," he said. However, Medina does not suggest planting such varieties at altitudes exceeding 4,000 feet. The Anacafé chief is also wary of engaging in widespread planting of cul- tivars that are resistant to rust, such as Caturra or Castillo, the latter being the clear favorite in Colombia. "In the 11 years the Cup of Excellence has been running, we haven't had one single Castillo win. They aren't horrible, but when you compare it to other coffees in the same place, normally the non-rust resistant varieties will grade higher. This is consistently the situation." He added: "We're very worried that if we were to turn only to rust-resis- tant varieties, it means we'd be relying on one single gene to protect ourselves. Rust-resistant varieties are more prone to be attacked by another fungus, and in the moment when the rust mutates and it can attack rust-resistant varieties, that gene will be able to attack all of our plantations. I think it's very risky to tell everyone to plant one single variety." Medina noted that all rust-resistant varieties are prone to leaf spot disease, which isn't as dangerous as roya — nor is as easily spread. However, he said, "it's also a problem in that Guatemala has been promoting excellence, and it would go against ourselves to start promoting lesser varieties." Asked if there's a link between Central America's continuing coffee crisis and a dramatic spike since early 2014 in the number of unaccompanied mi- nors from Central America to the United States, Ambassador Ligorría said absolutely yes — and that Guatemala's troubled country's coffee sector needs more outside assistance immediately. "There is certainly a relationship, though not yet fully identified. But it is here where the Alliance Plan for Prosperity has one of its most solid argu- ments," he said, referring to the ambitious regional economic development program proposed in Washington last November by the presidents of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. "We need to build and diversify em- ployment opportunities, improve social conditions and systems of justice and management — and we hope to achieve all this with the plan." Maersk container ship docks to load green coffee at Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala's chief port on the Pacific Ocean from which most of the country's exports are shipped Tourists ride World War II-vintage Jeeps through the Finca Filadelfia coffee plantation. Photos by Larry Luxner Left, Ermitanio López is a member of the Cooperativa Esquipulas, a coffee growers' cooperative in La Libertad. Right, Marco Antonio Cruz is Anacafé's technical adviser for Region 5, which includes Huehuetenango and Quiché.