Visiting El Paternal and the Huehue Coffee Region in Guatemala
September 04, 2008
Last week I had the opportunity to travel
through the North West region of Guatemala visiting coffee areas such as
San Pedro Necta, Isnul, La Mesilla and La Democracia. This time, we
traveled from one farm to other on narrow rural roads that remind me as if
I was back in the past. It was a great trip not only for experiencing
amazing scenery but also for meeting warm and friendly coffee growers.
I would like
to start updating all of you on the experiment that we started last year at
El Paternal Estate with a fertilization program called Balanced Plant
Nutrition™ (BPN™). The main goal of this program is nutrient
management based on the crop type, soil type and stage of plant growth
(Source: BPN manual IMT, PUNE - India). Use of BPN ensures proper ratios
of essentials nutrients getting a positive response from each coffee
shrub. Each plant is controlled by its genetic code, which determins the
maximum potential of the crop. It is important to add that yield and
optimal growth are closely related to external conditions and internal
conditions, as well as genetic potential. The picture above shows a good
example of how nodes should be set with berries as well as foliar
density.
This program ensures proper ratios of essential nutrients, enabling the plant to complete its life cycle via foliar sprays (mostly). Foliar application could vary from 5 to 7 sprays within the crop season timeframe.
At El Paternal we started a five-year program that would not only enhance the health of plants but also steadily increase the volume of production and quality of the coffee.
We started applying fertilizer last year to prepare the root system and increase the foliar density so the plant could set more berries in the coming crops (hence increase the production).
We were
please to walk through the trial plot and witness improvements compared
with the control area. Mr. Artemio, El Paternal farm manager, could not
identify the progress easily because at this stage they are subtle and
sometimes hard to distinguish. As Ms. Ujwala Ranade from Micnelf Inc
states, “There is no magic and no quick and dirty fixes! Our program
will allow you to grow a healthier plant, decrease your cost of production,
increase yields and hence put money back in your pocket”.
After walking throughout the trial area Mr. Artemio learned how to identify key elements that would help to gauge the progress of this project. In the picture above, we identified new leaves are coming out from this old stem; these are some of the positive effects that we would like to see more of in the coming seasons.
The main goal of the project of El Paternal is to increase the yield and quality without compromising the cost benefit ratio expected on 1:6. This means that for each dollar that any grower invests in fertilizers, he/she must receive 6 in return.
I would also like to mention that must of the rural roads within this coffee region are usually built and maintained by growers, starting three or four generation ago. These roads are used to move people, goods, fertilizers and coffee, among other things. This is an additional challenge for them. We tend to take for granted the transportation of coffee from the source. After talking with many growers of this region their current challenges are the raising prices of fertilizers, labor scarcity, transportation costs, and road maintenance cost.
Finally, I would like to extend our gratitude to all growers of this region and especially to Miguelina Villatoro, owner of El Paternal, who has always been open to exploring new projects and ways to improve not only her farm production but also increased benefits for her workers and local community.
On my next article I will share more detailed information about the 17 elements considered essential for growing any crop. I will also introduce the plant growth elements, explain the Mitscherlich´s curve and show some pictures of the water treatment facility at El Paternal that Portland Roasting helped build through the Farm Friendly Direct program.
I would like
to start updating all of you on the experiment that we started last year at
El Paternal Estate with a fertilization program called Balanced Plant
Nutrition™ (BPN™). The main goal of this program is nutrient
management based on the crop type, soil type and stage of plant growth
(Source: BPN manual IMT, PUNE - India). Use of BPN ensures proper ratios
of essentials nutrients getting a positive response from each coffee
shrub. Each plant is controlled by its genetic code, which determins the
maximum potential of the crop. It is important to add that yield and
optimal growth are closely related to external conditions and internal
conditions, as well as genetic potential. The picture above shows a good
example of how nodes should be set with berries as well as foliar
density. This program ensures proper ratios of essential nutrients, enabling the plant to complete its life cycle via foliar sprays (mostly). Foliar application could vary from 5 to 7 sprays within the crop season timeframe.
At El Paternal we started a five-year program that would not only enhance the health of plants but also steadily increase the volume of production and quality of the coffee.
We started applying fertilizer last year to prepare the root system and increase the foliar density so the plant could set more berries in the coming crops (hence increase the production).
We were
please to walk through the trial plot and witness improvements compared
with the control area. Mr. Artemio, El Paternal farm manager, could not
identify the progress easily because at this stage they are subtle and
sometimes hard to distinguish. As Ms. Ujwala Ranade from Micnelf Inc
states, “There is no magic and no quick and dirty fixes! Our program
will allow you to grow a healthier plant, decrease your cost of production,
increase yields and hence put money back in your pocket”. After walking throughout the trial area Mr. Artemio learned how to identify key elements that would help to gauge the progress of this project. In the picture above, we identified new leaves are coming out from this old stem; these are some of the positive effects that we would like to see more of in the coming seasons.
The main goal of the project of El Paternal is to increase the yield and quality without compromising the cost benefit ratio expected on 1:6. This means that for each dollar that any grower invests in fertilizers, he/she must receive 6 in return.
I would also like to mention that must of the rural roads within this coffee region are usually built and maintained by growers, starting three or four generation ago. These roads are used to move people, goods, fertilizers and coffee, among other things. This is an additional challenge for them. We tend to take for granted the transportation of coffee from the source. After talking with many growers of this region their current challenges are the raising prices of fertilizers, labor scarcity, transportation costs, and road maintenance cost.
Finally, I would like to extend our gratitude to all growers of this region and especially to Miguelina Villatoro, owner of El Paternal, who has always been open to exploring new projects and ways to improve not only her farm production but also increased benefits for her workers and local community.
On my next article I will share more detailed information about the 17 elements considered essential for growing any crop. I will also introduce the plant growth elements, explain the Mitscherlich´s curve and show some pictures of the water treatment facility at El Paternal that Portland Roasting helped build through the Farm Friendly Direct program.
