Hawai‘i Coffee Production Dips, Prices Increase

Coffee on the vine. Maui Now file photo.

By Maui Now Staff

The final estimate for the 2014-15 Hawai‘i coffee marketings is 7.5 million pounds, which is 11 percent lower than the 2013-14 crop season.

Crop acreage totaled 8,600 acres; harvested acreage totaled 7,800 this season. Both figures declined by 400 acres from a year ago.

The average yield was 960 pounds per acre—down by 60 pounds from previous year.

The statewide farm price for coffee averaged $6.70 per pound (parchment equivalent basis) for the 2014-15 season, an increase of 8 percent from the 2013-14 season price of $6.20 per pound.

The farm revenue for coffee is estimated at $50.3 million (parchment equivalent basis) for this season, 4 percent less than last season.

The coffee berry borer remains a concern for the industry, though measures taken to control the pest are showing signs of progress.

According to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s College of Human Resources and Tropical Agriculture, the coffee berry borer was first found in the state in South Kona on Hawai‘i Island.