Latin America countries dominated coffee production and exports, with Brazil as the main actor.
Brazil is the largest Arabica producer in the world, and its coffee plantations are composed of 73% Arabica and 27% Robusta trees.
Brazil has long been the world’s largest producer, but production has recently been boosted by changes in how and where coffee is grown.
Throughout the 1880s and into the early twentieth century, Brazil produced more than half of the world’s coffee.
Increased mechanization, intense production methods, and a geographical shift away from the traditional, first-prone growing areas have all increased yield.
South-eastern Brazil is the main coffee producing region. The land for growing coffee should be gently sloping so that water does not collect near the roots. In South-eastern Brazil the gently rolling nature of the plateau provides good drainage.
The coffee trees are planted at some elevations (usually above 500 m) and are therefore protected from hosts that occur in the valleys. Preparation for planting is often entirely mechanized. South-eastern Brazil has a warm, humid climate. There is a long dry season, which is very important for ripening and picking of the berries.
Harvest season begins in mid April and extends until August,. Stripping all cherries from branches at once is the common method of harvesting.
Coffee is grown on some 2.5 million ha between latitudes 10 and 24 degree S, mostly on gently sloping land, often with high tech cultivation practices.
Coffee Farming in Brazil
