Reuters reports that Jamaican Blue Mountain is likely to become rare after the recent hurricanes. Hurricane Ivan in September ruined 60 percent of the harvest just as it started, and Hurricane Dennis in July has done even more damage.
According to the Jamaican Coffee Board, Hurricane Ivan damaged 3,628 hectares of coffee and lost the industry $20 million, excluding the cost of infrastructure damage and repairs. But the effects of Dennis have not been assessed yet and much of the Blue Mountain area is still inaccessible.
Reuters quoted importer John Sherwood as saying: "The main road which winds and twists through the top of the Blue Mountains has been totally destroyed in three places, which will severely hamper the movement of coffee from the highlands to processing mills. Minor roads are totally inundated."
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