IICA advocates a regional plan to combat coffee rust

Mexico City, May 20, 2013 (IICA). The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, Víctor M. Villalobos, urged the governments of Mexico and Central America to implement a regional strategy to combat rust–a disease that is affecting the coffee plantations of every nation in the region–because it is impossible to bring the problem under control with measures at the individual country level.

“A regional strategy should be considered. Fortunately, countries in the region, Mexico among them, have already held a number of meetings to discuss the issue in depth. I believe all the countries are keenly aware of the magnitude of the problem and I’m sure they will collaborate closely with each other,” Villalobos commented in a press conference in which he was accompanied by the IICA Representative in Mexico, Víctor Del Ángel.

He went on to say: “The first step is to contain the disease, to continue to apply the substances that help combat it in order to prevent major damage to next year’s production, and then invest in improved varieties that are of a higher quality and more tolerant to rust.”

In Mexico, the ageing coffee plants on many farms need to be replaced with young ones. Other factors that have contributed to the advance of the fungus are higher moisture levels and failure to care for plants properly because coffee prices are low.

In the Central American countries, Villalobos said, rust has so far affected half a million hectares of coffee, causing losses of roughly US$600 million.

“In Central America, nearly half a million hectares, or around 20% of production, have been lost. But economic losses are not the only concern; the social impact is enormous because the vast majority of producers in the region are small farmers,” he pointed out.

The Director General of IICA spent three days in Mexico, where he met with the Secretaries of SAGARPA and SEDESOL, Enrique Martínez y Martínez and Rosario Robles, respectively; in addition to the Undersecretaries of SAGARPA and the directors of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs.

He also held a working meeting with the Minister of Agriculture of Chile, Luis Mayol, who was visiting Mexico at the same time.

National Crusade Against Hunger

Turning to the National Crusade Against Hunger, the IICA Director General stated that the Institute welcomed the initiative and endorsed the strategy, and had initiated specific actions with the beneficiaries of the campaign launched by Mexico’s Federal Government.

“We have a lot of experience working with smallholders, with very positive results,” Villalobos observed.

Referring to his meeting with Rosario Robles, the Secretary of SEDESOL, the Director General remarked that IICA would contribute the experience it had acquired in various countries, particularly in promoting food production. He stressed that, given the magnitude of the problem, not only the government, but society as a whole, needed to be involved.

“We have had meetings with the Secretariat of Social Development with a view to our collaborating in the strategy, because a problem like hunger can only be solved by all sectors working together,” he noted.

For more information, contact: 
victor.delangel@iica.int