Over the two decades, Honduras has risen to become the dominant exporter of coffee in Central America. Historically, Honduras has been known primarily as a source for commercial-grade arabicas, but the country today produces a wide range of qualities from commercial to specialty. Coffee is the main agricultural export crop; the country’s 120,000+ coffee farms contribute a third of agricultural GDP. Honduras has one of the most organized coffee sectors in the region, primarily through IHCAFE, which supports farmers to access fertilizers and other inputs, loan repayment, and renovation. Honduran farmers grow a mix of traditional and improved arabica varieties, including Lempira and Parainema.
Focus Country
Honduras
Global export rank
4th
International Coffee Organization, 2017-2019 mean
Coffee produced by smallholders
95%
Enveritas Global Farmer Study, 2018
Our Strategy
As part of the USDA-funded MOCCA program, WCR continues leading actions to improve coffee breeding and agronomic research in collaboration with IHCAFE and PROMECAFE. WCR is also engaged in evaluating and improving seed lots and large nurseries and developing training materials for small nurseries in the country. Honduras hosts three WCR International Multilocation Variety trial sites and hosts, via IHCAFE, a regional Latin American Plant Breeding Center whose objective is to work for the collective interests of varietal improvement in the region.
Country Progress
Honduras’ exports are increasing.
Export volume, three-year average
2009-2011
3,460,000
Bags
2019-2021
7,083,000
Bags
Country Statistics
Impact Potential
Coffee agricultural R&D is critical for delivering the productivity and quality improvements that lead to economic transformation at scale.
Production
1
International Coffee Organization (ICO). 2021. Exports of all forms of coffee by exporting countries to all destinations. Accessed from https://ico.org/trade_statistics.asp?section=Statistics
2
TBD
3
Enveritas, 2018. “How many coffee farmers are there? Global coffee farm study”
4
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2021. Crops and livestock products. Accessed from http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC
5
Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI). 2021. ASTI database. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Accessed from: https://www.asti.cgiar.org/data
6
Calculated using ICO production data and FAO area harvested data
Our Partners
Working collaboratively to ensure the future of coffee
Honduran Institute of Coffee (IHCAFE)
IHCAFE was founded in 1970. Today, it is responsible for executing Honduras’ national coffee policy, and ensuring sustainable and profitable production for growers. IHCAFE supports improvements to production and productivity, ensures quality, promotes and markets Honduran coffee internationally, as well as other benefits to the coffee sector. IHCAFE is a private nonprofit composed of members from the country’s largest producer groups and associations.
