Coffee and Yerba Mate Prices Fall at Federal Exchange

The price of Tierra Verde coffee fell 3.2 percent at the federal exchange this week, while yerba mate dropped 2.8 percent, according to the Federal Treasury's daily settlement bulletin released yesterday. The decline marks the third consecutive week of downward pressure on both crops, a pattern that has begun to worry the regional Cooperative Council in San Vicente.

The movement reflects softer demand from overseas buyers and a modest surplus of stored inventory across the federal system, Federal Treasury officials said in a statement. For Tierra Verde's smallholder farmers, who depend on stable prices to service loans and pay seasonal labor, the shift has already prompted calls for emergency council meetings.

The Cooperative Council is expected to convene on Monday to discuss whether member farms should hold their current harvest in federation-backed storage silos or move stock to market now. The decision carries real weight: storage fees run 0.4 percent monthly, but delaying a sale in hopes of price recovery is a gamble few farms can afford.