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Article: TWO DISASTERS FOR HONDURAS HIT THE COFFEE GROWERS HARD.(Business)
- Article from:
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Article date:
- February 20, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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On the lush green mountains of northwestern Honduras, coffee grower Juan de Marta Castillo sees himself as the victim of two disasters.
The first was Hurricane Mitch, which turned a gentle stream on his plantation into a ferocious river, triggering mudslides and sending half his crop tumbling into the valley.
The second was a rapid drop in international coffee prices caused by oversupply and economic turmoil in Brazil, the world's leading producer.
``We have had two hurricanes. The first was of water and now of prices,'' de Marta Castillo said.
The combination has created the worst crisis that Honduran coffee growers can remember. ...