How corona effects Gepa's coffee partners in Honduras

Andrea Fütterer from Gepa, the fair trade organisation was stuck in Honduras until the 3^rd April has reported back on the situation in Honduras for Gepa’s coffee partners in Honduras and the people's protest against the curfew.

"Road blocks have now already been set up on all major connecting roads throughout the country," Andrea Fütterer wrote at the end of March. The nationwide total curfew was even extended to food shopping. As a result, many small traders and day labourers, who need their daily wages to buy food for their families each day, simply have nothing left to eat. "Everything is becoming more expensive." The curfew has now been extended until 12 April, "however, there are now regulations on who can shop, buy fuel or go to the bank, and when; on certain days of the week at specified times of day, depending on the final digit of their ID number."

Andrea Fütterer visited APROLMA, the women's cooperative and they are worried how the pandemic will affect their customers; "we don't know what will happen to the companies and the customers who buy our coffee," says Dolores Cruz Benitez, who coordinates the coffee roasting plant. The plant is currently idle and "production has been banned for this week and we don't know what will happen after this, hopefully everything will return to normal."