Coffee production in Ecuador

Landscape near Ambato, Ecuador

Although Ecuador is small, it is one of the few countries in the world that exports all the varieties of coffee: Arábica lavado, Arábica natural and Robusta. Different ecosystems in Ecuador permit different coffee cultures to occur all over the country, including in the Galápagos Islands.

History

First years

Historically, the Jipijapa Zone in the province of Manabí has been one of the most prominent places in which coffee has been cultivated in Ecuador. In 1860, coffee grains were introduced there. When Ecuador opened up to foreign trade and commerce, significant changes occurred throughout the country with new small plantations reaching a certain degree of development, allowing coffee export for the economic growth of the nation. This phenomenon occurred almost on par with cocoa production.

Growth

In 1903, the cultivation of coffee fell, but two years later, it began to grow again, with Ecuador commencing export to several European countries from the port of Manta. In 1935, the exports rose to 220,000 "sacos", 552,000 in 1960, nearly doubling to 1,018,000 in 1975, and 1,810,000 in 1985. However, due to economic recession in the 1990s, coffee export reduced slightly. In 2001, it had grown to 1,062,000 produced annually, equivalent to 63,720 metric tonnes. Of that tonnage, 311,804 was exported as grain. In 2001, the area under coffee cultivation in Ecuador amounted to 262,060 hectares, and is currently believed to be 305,000 hectares.

Grains of coffee

Provinces of cultivation

The main provinces for coffee cultivation are as follows:

Variety of coffee	Provinces
Arábigo lavado	El Oro, Manabí, Loja, Guayas y Zamora Chinchipe
Arábigo natural	Loja, Manabí, El Oro, Los Ríos y Guayas
Robusta	Pichincha, Orellana, Sucumbíos, Guayas, Los Ríos y Napo

Exports

The culture, production, commercialization, industrialization and export of the coffee is one of the most important sectors of the economy of Ecuador, which is why it is necessary for private and the public sectors to work in conjunction with each other, in order to promote development and to achieve an improvement in the socio-economic conditions in the trade. The Consejo Cafetalero Nacional is one of the institutions in Ecuador which promote the development of the industry. CORPEI, COFENAC and ANCAFE (Asociación Nacional de Exportadores de Café) are amongst Ecuador's leading coffee companies. Agriculturists dedicated to this activity, as well as the extension of exports, make important contributions to the Ecuadorian economy. As of 2008, Ecuadorian coffee is exported to nearly 50 countries worldwide. Amongst the most notable are the United States, Colombia, Spain, Chile, Germany, Italy, France, Poland, Japan, Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Argentina, and Switzerland.

References

• CORPEI - Corporación para la promoción de exportaciones e inversiones del Ecuador
• Café "El Café"
• Consejo Cafetalero Nacional
• Asociación de Exportadores de Café