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KINGSTON, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- International coffee dealers may need to pay more for Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, one of the most expensive coffees in the world, as leading processors have increased payments to the local farmers.
According to a release by Jamaica's Agriculture Ministry on Wednesday, the payment to farmers will be increased to 9,000 Jamaican dollars (69.81 U.S. dollars) per box from the previous 8,000 Jamaican dollars (62.05 U.S. dollars).
Under the new payment scheme which took effect on Tuesday, farmers will receive a first payment of 8,000 Jamaican dollars per box followed by a final payment of 1,000 Jamaican dollars a box.h The new payment was proposed by the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory and the Wallenford Coffee Company, which together purchase most of the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee crop, said the release.
Managing Director of the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory Norman Grant explained that the payment increase was mainly due to improvement of the quality of the coffee.
But he said price negotiations on this year's coffee crop between his company and international importers are still going on.
Jamaican Agriculture Minister Karl Samuda said he was pleased to see the payment hike for farmers, who have been dedicated to crop improvement.
The minister also commended local producers for their decision to raise payments to farmers before the conclusion of the price negotiations.
Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee cherries are sold by "box" to large processors. Each box is 60 pounds (27.22 kg), which can be processed into about 12 pounds (5.44 kg) of green beans, and further into only 9.6 pounds (4.35 kg) of coffee.
Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is a type of coffee grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. Over the past few decades, this coffee has developed a reputation that has made it one of the most sought-after coffees in the world.
