Past seasons has always been greeted by dry weather which helps with harvesting and processing of coffee cherries into green beans that are ready to be exported to local roasters or international buyers. However, as the harvest season close in, the heavy downpour and winds in recent weeks are worrying as it will affect yields if the rains do not stop. A spokesperson from Kim Yen Agricultural Development, a company that works with farmers on the ground, commented that the plateau is deep with apprehension as it continues to rain unrelentingly.

Ripe coffee cherries are highly susceptible to fall to the ground from the rain and winds as they do not have a strong grip on its branches. Consequently, by the time pickers get to them, these cherries might have already fermented causing a bad flavour to develop. The cherries that did not fall may not be in good condition either. They may experience cracking, which occurs when a lot of water is quickly absorbed and the cherry peel is forced apart causing the sweet mucilage to seep out of the cracks. This is especially detrimental to farmers who processes honey washed beans.

Evidently, both are undesirable outcomes which will result in poor cup score or worse – the lost of its specialty coffee status.

If dry weather was always the norm, why is it different now? The larger picture points towards climate change. The rising temperatures and new erratic rainfall patterns are especially crippling towards the agriculture industry. Especially Arabica coffee species due to their sensitivity towards temperature and rainfall changes.