Coffee farmer bats for price increase

Buff Bay Valley, West Portland:

For coffee farmer Dian Ellis of Hart Hill, Portland, whose five acres of fully grown berries are now ready for harvesting, insurmountable challenges continue to impact her farm, along with others, on a daily basis, sometimes putting them at a disadvantage.

Ellis, who spoke to The Gleaner on Tuesday from her farm at Fairfield in the Buff Bay Valley, explained that coffee farming is something that she relishes, even though it requires a lot of hard work - including the hiring of people to clear the land, till the soil, plant seeds, fertilise, and then clean around the plants in order to ensure full growth.

“It’s harvest time now, so we employ people to go out in the morning to pick the berries, which are placed in a box. Workers are paid $3,000 per box for the berries that they pick, or reap,” commented Ellis.

“We as farmers are paid $10,000 per box for our berries by the coffee buyers. So right away you can easily realise our plight. From the outset, people are hired to clear the land - right up to planting, fertilising, and then to reap during harvest. And we have to ensure that plants are not consumed by bushes or shrubbery. The cost for fertilisers is about $10,000 per bag. On my farm I will use about 25 bags each time and I fertilise, like, three times per year.

“We have some challenges as it relates to a large breakaway from the community of Bangaridge coming down, which makes the road inaccessible. I really need help with the road as a result of the breakaway at the Malava Bridge, which prevents us from driving through right to Bangaridge. As for my farm, where it used to be, I could drive and go straight on the farm, but because of that blockage you have to walk a long way (about a mile and a half). And like now, when its reaping time, you have to pay people to carry out the berries on their heads,” she added.

Frequent rainfall in the Buff Bay Valley is a perennial problem plaguing that area, as according to Ellis, even though road repairs are carried out, landslides triggered by heavy downpour continues to impact several roadways, especially farm roads in the Buff Bay Valley, located in west Portland.

“At the moment it is $10,000 per box for coffee and we hope it will get better, because it is very costly to maintain the coffee. Fertiliser is very expensive, and that is what is affecting every coffee farmer. I am passionate about what I do, and my husband is very supportive. It is a good feeling for me and I enjoy what I am doing. But I am hoping that the price for coffee per box will go up, so that we can see some light,” she concluded.

gareth.davis@gleanerjm.com