The drought poses a threat to 90% of coffee crops in Mexico.

This week, the Independent Coffee Producers Union warned of the risks facing between 80% and 90% of crops on the southern border of Mexico due to the continuous drought since January. Therefore, urgent government support is needed, according to the Mexican newspaper Excélsior.

The Independent Coffee Producers Union stated that generally, 6 million bags of coffee are produced annually, but in the current production cycle, it will decrease to only 5 million.

The union's representative, Ismael Gómez, mentioned that coffee plants are showing signs of damage from the drought. According to the latest statistics, there are 170 thousand hectares in the southern border region of Mexico, with a similar number of farmers who could be affected by the drought.

Gomez explained that most producers own up to one and a half hectares, but the vast majority only have one hectare and rely on their products for a living. Mexico is the eighth largest source of coffee beans globally, with exports exceeding $433.8 million in 2023, according to Statista.

The area planted with coffee cherries decreased by 0.42% annually in 2023 to 698,035 hectares, according to the latest available data from the government's Agricultural Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP).

The Independent Coffee Producers Union warned of the risks threatening between 80% and 90% of crops on the southern border of Mexico due to drought.

In the state of Chiapas, located on the southern border of Mexico and contributing one-third of the national coffee production, coffee farmers are feeling anxious about the drought, according to Gomez.

The problem exacerbates as 67.97% of Mexican lands suffer from moderate to exceptional drought, according to the latest report by the National Water Commission (CONAGUA). The report indicates that 21.5% of the area, primarily in the southern border region, is abnormally dry, with 44.7% experiencing moderate drought and 29.8% severe drought.

Joel Ruiz García, a farmer from the El Triunfo community in the highlands of Tapachula, confirmed that he has never witnessed a rainfall shortage like the current one. He lamented, "What concerns us greatly is the meager production we will achieve, which will be 30% to 40% (of the usual level), if at all."