Brazil forest loss linked to coffee hit 737,000 hectares between 2002 and 2023, report says

By Oliver Griffin

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazilian deforestation linked to coffee crops hit 737,000 hectares (1.8 million acres) between 2002 and 2023, according to a report on Wednesday that warned negative environmental impacts from forest loss could affect the country’s coffee industry.

Direct deforestation – where land was cleared to grow coffee – led to some 312,803 hectares being torn down over the period, Coffee Watch said in its report, adding that the rest came from additional forest loss on coffee farms.

Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer and exporter, producing tens of millions of 60-kilogram bags of coffee each year. However, its future is in jeopardy, Coffee Watch said, due to the impact of forest loss on the rains needed for the crops.

“Brazil needs to reverse co