El Salvador
In
The United Kingdom and Ireland

Flower Coffea Arabica

More than 25 million people who live in the tropical coasts depend on coffee for subsistence. The cultivation of this product is the economic support of many countries and the second most commercialised product in the world-wide market, after petroleum. The importance El Salvador´s coffee has changed throughout the past few years. From it's first his first export in 1865, coffee has marked the time of economic activity. It has gone from being the spine of our economy towards a source of social stability and now an ecological bastion.

In other words, coffee is the ecological currency of El Salvador: the agricultural product that happened, to be the vital resource of our economy, to be the economic resource that produces life. The culture of Coffee in El Salvador has become attached to its values and historical traditions of production and processing, as well as adopting new norms, techniques and technologies that are implemented to obtain a greater quality in its product.

For our country, Coffee continues to be an activity of strategic importance for the sustainability in the economy, society and environment, despite of a relative loss in the impact within the economy, favoured by the evolution of El Salvador towards one of the freest economies of the world, which has allowed the re-conversion of the productive sectors. There are approximately 165,000 hectares devoted to coffee in El Salvador, close to 12% of the nation's arable land. Although grown in 7 of the 14 provinces of the country, most of the plantations are found in the western and central provinces of Santa Ana (34% of total production), Ahuachapán (17%), Sonsonate (10%) an La Libertad (21%). Most of the coffee land in the eastern part of the country is located in the province of San Miguel (10% of the country's total) and Usulután (6%).

Map of production
* r: Cultivation of Coffea robusta
* m: Cultivation of Coffea robusta and Coffea arabica
* a: Cultivation of Coffea arabica

The data shown below has been taken from the official page of the "Consejo Salvadoreño del Café" or "Salvadorean Council of the Coffee" (CSC), and it highlights the socio-economic importance of coffee for El Salvador:

• In 2005, coffee represented 1,5% of the Gross Internal Product and 12,6% of the GDP from Agriculture. Because the national accounts do not include the agro-industrial activity within the Agriculture GDP, the number indicated does not reflect the true impact. A study determined that the GDP of the Agriculture sector increased from 13,3% to 22,8%3 when fitting it by its agro-industrial contribution (as to the year 1997).
• The coffee exports in 2005 represented 4,8% of the total exports of the country, even when the diversification of exports and the decrease in the productivity of coffee have mined the performance of the first. The average of the total exports of coffee activity between the years 1995 and 2005 was 9,2%.
• Under normal conditions, coffee, generates some 160.000 direct jobs, and 500.000 indirect jobs; it injects resources in the rural area invigorating the commerce and alleviating rural poverty. Throughout many years coffee has contributed so that the rural populations can develop a better quality of life, including the construction of new highways, schools, and access to basic services, among others. The jobs generated by the cultivation of coffee account for 25% of the agricultural sector and 7% nation wide. It represents one of the main contributions of this sector to maintain the social and political stability of the country. Considering that in normal conditions the use of the coffee sector represents near 6% of the Population Economically Active or "Población Economicamente Active" (PEA); It can be added that the investment that generates it's own activity favours the development of micro-enterprises that contribute to reduce the migration of rural settlers towards city and the problems that it implies.
• In 2006 approximately 40,1% of the credits destined by the Bank and Financiers were granted to the Agricultural sector, meaning the coffee sector, speaking solely of the agriculture sub-sector. This percentage represents 62,4% of credit's total. The amount of credits of coffee sector that promotes stands at $93 million, representing 3,1% of the total of total credits of the country.

View from "Café Miranda - Rodolfo Villeda

Coffee is also vital from the ecological point of view. The positive properties of the coffee - although very important - at the moment are neither remunerated internally nor externally. While several producing countries have changed their technologies to cultivate coffee under the open sun (which uses stronger chemicals), El Salvador has maintained its traditional "under the shade" form of cultivation. Under this shade, trees are slowly matured into Arabian coffees, from which the exceptional drink is obtained. The last studies in the field reveal that El Salvador has 2% of primary forest; coffee plantations represent 9% of additional forest approximately due to the intensive use of shade that they own. 95% of coffee plantations are cultivated in "low shade". More important still, almost the totality of primary or closed forests (around 80%) are surrounded by coffee plantations, working like an area of mitigation for the impact that the forest outside could receive. If coffee plantations disappear, the primary forests, would be in latent danger to disappearing.

Research done by the Coffee and Biodiversity project has produce the following data on the biodiversity of coffee plantations: There are 60 families of trees (209 native and 21 species). 13 families of mammals (23 species, 8 native endangered species and 11 native threatened species). 5 families of amphibians (8 species, and 3 native threatened species). 7 families of reptiles (22 species, 1 native endangered species and 6 native threatened species) and 34 families of birds (138 species, 101 resident species, and 37 migratory species).

Catuaí Coffee;

El Salvador produces only Arabian Coffee. From this species, the following varieties can be found: Bourbon (which represents 68% of the total area of coffee worked in the country), Pacas (Salvadorean variety originating of a natural mutation of the Bourbón) that represents 29% and the rest 3% which includes the Pacamara (a hybrid, resulting of the crossing between Pacas and Maragogipe) and other dwarf varieties like Caturra, Catuaí and Catisic.

El Salvador classifies its coffee according to altitude. The main classifications are:

• Central Standard-CS: Produced between 600 and 800 meters above sea level
• Central High Grown-HG: Produced between 800 and 1.200 m.a.s.l
• Central Strictly High Grown-SHG: Produced over 1.200 m.a.s.l

"Rainforest Alliance Seal"

• Gourmet coffee: It grows at an altitude of 1400 m.a.s.l, and has a variety of at least 90% Bourbon, Pacamara and Maragogipe.
• Organic coffee: It does not use any chemical or synthetic agent. The country is practising the originally grown, essentially to protect the biodiversity within the agricultural system, using a diversified shade and companion crops; it also practices ecological soil management with protection methods and organic fertilisers, as well as chemical-free pest controls, including biological control, ground cover, and rook-stock grafting. To be exported as such it requires a certification extended by the "Association of International for the Improvement of Organic Crops" (OCIA, "Asociación Internacional para el Mejoramiento de los Cultivos Orgánicos"), or another organisation capable of certifying and with equal international credibility. "Fair Trade" coffees can also be found in the country.

The exports of toasted, soluble, gourmet and organic coffee, received a 6% drawback as a fiscal incentive on behalf of the government of El Salvador.

Many producers have benefited under the recognised sustainable coffee-crops standards, this being the "Rain-Forest Alliance", "Utz Kapeh" and "BIRD-Friendly". These coffees are registered by the CSC under the category of sustainable coffees. The certification of "Rain Forrest Alliance" is based on the principles and norms of sustainability (social, environmental and productive).

Fine coffees are catalogued by the Salvadorean Council of Coffee like all those that without one of the remaining differentiated classifications receive a surcharge of $10 per quintals in reference of a contract "C" in New York.

Coffee Plantation;

The harvesting period in El Salvador starts in October in the below lying areas and extends through March for the high altitude areas. The bulk is harvested from late November to early January. Selective hand-Picking is the prevalent harvest method; the unripe beans are separated before sending to the mills. The fresh cherries are transported the day they are harvested for immediate pulping in order to prevent fermentation. This is made possible thanks to relatively close concentration of coffee regions, the fact that mills are well distributed in this areas, the existence of more than 460 collecting points and an adequate network of feeder roads.

Coffee is wet processed in El Salvador, so cherries must be picked at their optimum stage of ripeness, when they exhibit a bright red colour. Producers don't engage in any of the delicate processing activities which are carried out by millers who are integrated from the sourcing to the export activity. These millers normally have a capacity to process from 1,000 to 5,000 quintals daily (one quintal = o­ne 46kg bag) of green coffee, volumes that assure a homogeneous product. An abundance of drying decks and sunlight allows a significant amount of coffee to be sun-dried.

A coffee harvest is normally concentrated in a three-month period, whereas exports are spread over the year. Coffee is therefore stored in parchment in exporters warehouses in areas where relative humidity does not exceed 70%.

Coffee

There are approximately 23.000 producers in the country, of which 87% are small producers, with properties smaller than 25 apples and represent 21% of the total of the production nation wide. Next the stratification of producers by cultivated area appears: There are approximately 80 active authorised exporters who appear stratified by volume of exports and coffee harvest. According to registries of the CSC, there are more than 215 beneficiaries in El Salvador. About 50 national roasters of coffee are registered, amongst them small, medium and large roasters, who are in charge of the internal and external markets.

Coffee Consumption in the World

In a study referring to the period of 2005/06, the main export partners were: EE.UU. (US$59,322,901), Germany (US$58,050,305), Japan (US$18,185,324) and Belgium (US$12,505,395). In the period corresponding to these same England years was on the 9^th position, with a total of US$2,550,364.

According to the "International Coffee Organisation" (ICO), the intergovernmental organisation who groups almost in it's totality the producing countries of coffee as well as the main importers (To date of the 5 of July of 2007, there are 45 exporting countries and 32 import members). El Salvador is placed in the position number 13 in "Exports by exporting countries to all the destinies" with a total of 214.696 quintals of bags of 60kilos.

View from Izalco Volcano and Santa Ana, from "Finca Santa Elena", in Jayaque, La Libertad" - Miguel Servellón

El Salvador has developed different programs and tourist routes aimed to those people who wish to know more about the cultivate and procedure of coffee. In July 2007 the Vice-president of the Republic, Licda. Ana Vilma de Escobar, in a joint collaboration with the next to the authorities of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Salvadorean Council of the Coffee and the Agency of the United States for the Development the International opened the "School El Salvador's Coffee". One hopes this contributes to the competitiveness of the coffee sector by means of the permanent theoretical-practical qualification, that allows to develop key skills that support their sustainability.

On the other hand throughout the "Route of coffee in Jayaque", one can visit coffee crop, zones of cultivation, property, hydroponic cultivation and also have the opportunity to sample the different gastronomic delights this areas have to offer . The areas to visit throughout this tour are: "The Pedregal", "Summits of Jayaque", "The Carmel", "The Hope", "The Carmen", "Santa Elena", "The Large house of Jayaque" and "Crafts of the Pepes" all of them in the municipality of Jayaque in the department of La Libertad.