Coffee prices surge at federal exchange as harvest season nears

The price of Tierra Verde coffee climbed to 2.34 florins per kilogram at yesterday's federal exchange close, the highest settlement in four months. The surge reflects early purchases ahead of the region's main harvest, which begins in late August in the northern cooperatives around San Vicente. Yerba mate prices have held steady at 1.87 florins per kilogram, stable for six weeks.

The movement has rippled through the cooperative network. Smaller farms are reporting interest from buyers they have not heard from since the spring, and the Cooperative Council in San Vicente has called an emergency pricing committee meeting for Friday to advise members on forward-sales strategy. Federal Agricultural Ministry data released yesterday shows Costa Mar importers have placed orders for 2,400 metric tons of Tierra Verde coffee for Q4 delivery, up from 1,800 tons in the same quarter last year.

But the optimism carries a caveat. Oriente Moderno's port authority has signaled no change to its loading fees, which remain among the highest in the Republic. Smallholder farmers say the tariff structure still eats into their margins even as the commodity price rises, and the Tierra Verde Assembly's agriculture committee is preparing a formal petition to the Federal Council on the issue.