Puerto Rico Lifts Official Coffee Price Minimums by 20%

Puerto Rico's consumer regulator has increased the official minimum coffee prices by roughly 20 to 22 percent, effective November 13, 2026. Agriculture Secretary Irving Rodríguez Torres revealed this on October 2, 2026, according to Metro Puerto Rico, WIPR and El Vocero. The decision comes from DACO, the Department of Consumer Affairs, which regulates coffee prices via a specific regulation.

This applies to all stages, from freshly harvested cherries to processed and imported beans. Farmers will now receive a minimum of US$22 per almud of ripe cherries, up from US$18. The almud, a traditional measure, equates to US$0.79 per pound. Green-ripe and Robusta cherries now cost US$12 to US$14.50 per almud. Processed local coffee prices rise as well: first-grade parchment beans from US$488 to US$596, and first-grade milled beans from US$500 to US$610.

Imported semi-roasted coffee also sees price hikes: ADEA's Arabica rises from US$375 to US$450 per quintal (100 pounds), and Robusta from US$256 to US$307.20. The Department of Agriculture noted that the farm reference price had gone 15 years without a full review, and the import price was last substantially revised in January 2023.

During this period, ADEA's coffee purchase program, which was once profitable, lost about US$8.3 million in fiscal years 2024-2025 and US$8.8 million in 2025-2026, with the total cost surpassing US$30 million. Secretary Rodríguez Torres emphasized that this situation could not continue indefinitely. Producers face similar pressures worldwide, as seen in Venezuela Coffee Growers Plan Protests Over Prices.

The decision was not made unilaterally; an evaluation committee comprising economists from DACO, Agriculture, and the University of Puerto Rico, along with growers, processors, and roasters, made the recommendation. The order also includes a check on future increases. If ADEA's purchase cost exceeds the new price, it can sell at that price, provided Agriculture notifies DACO's secretary in writing.

The state program still helps control costs, as private importers may face tariff charges that the government avoids. Governor Jenniffer González Colón's policy aims to keep price decisions minimal for consumers. The new minimum means about 22 percent more for each almud of ripe cherries for growers. The impact on retail coffee prices in Puerto Rico and whether the losses in the program will stop depends on world coffee prices, which the department believes have not fallen as hoped.