Coffee crisis in Central America fuels record exodus north

Coffee producer Maria Bonilla, whose 4 sons embarked on the treacherous journey to the U.S., speaks during an interview with Reuters in her house, at a coffee farm in El Laurel, in the state of Olancho, Honduras September 22, 2021. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez

EL LAUREL, Honduras/LA LAGUNETA, Guatemala (Reuters) - The four sons of María Bonilla and Esteban Funes all embarked on the treacherous journey north, one of them aged 10, preferring the life of an unauthorized migrant in America to a coffee farmer in Central America.

"If I didn't have my mom, I would also go to the U.S. It's better there. Here, no one is solvent," said 40-year-old Bonilla, who's still trying to beat the odds and turn a profit at her family farm in El Laurel, northeast Honduras.