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This lack of political power has had a profound
impact on the economic development of the island. The
fact that they have to import most of the food they con-
sume is a direct result of this. The United States doesn’t
encourage production growth on the island, because they
prefer to protect their own producers and companies.
There are many U.S. policies in place that obstruct
the island’s ability to become self-sufficient. One such
policy is the Jones Act, which requires that all goods shipped
between U.S. ports must be carried on U.S. flag ships, con-
structed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and
crewed by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
As a result, the cost of shipping goods to Puerto Rico
is significantly higher. According to a 2012 study by the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York, moving a container from
the U.S. East Coast to Puerto Rico costs US $3,063, while
the same shipment to Kingston, Jamaica, costs US $1,607.
What’s more, a container of semi-roasted or fully
roasted coffee from a producing country can’t come
directly from that country to Puerto Rico, it has to go
via the U.S. first. The same goes for other goods like
fertilizer and farming equipment, which drives up the
costs even more for the farmers.

At a Standstill

Between hurricanes, the political instability and
the obstacles to economic development, many farmers
have chosen to leave the coffee industry. The deeply
rooted issue however, is that many of these farmers
receive very little support for their hard work.
The 2011 documentary “Semitostado” by Alex Wolfe
shines a light on the working conditions of coffee farmers
in Puerto Rico. The film crew accompanied coffee farm-
ers for a few months as la broca, the coffee berry borer
beetle, was devastating crops all over the island.
This was the first time the farmers had to face this
enemy that works its way in the coffee berry and eats
the coffee bean. Throughout the documentary it becomes
clear that there is next to no help from governmental
institutions or the private sector. The farmers can’t sell
their coffee or are forced to sell it at very low prices.
Many find different jobs and don’t know if they will
be able to farm coffee again. Eventually, the solution
comes from the farmers themselves, who figure out a way
to kill the beetle with insecticidal fungus. Challenges like
this are bound to happen when dealing with agricultural The deeply rooted issue however,
products, however what’s lacking is the support network
to help farmers through these difficult times. is that many of these farmers receive
It is not easy to overcome all these obstacles and
barriers. What it does is that it keeps the coffee industry very little support for their hard work.
in Puerto Rico from progressing. Farmers and processors

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