85th National Coffee Growers Congress
The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), organization to which the freeze-dried coffee factory Buencafé belongs, held the 85th National Coffee Growers Congress, where 90 representatives of the different regions that produce Colombian coffee came together to seek solutions to current challenges of coffee farming.
For the first time, the Congress was held in Manizales, the capital of the Caldas department, where the first Coffee Growers Committee of the country was created 90 years ago, contributing to generate a culture of coffee leadership.
Through dynamic and participative sessions, the attendees discussed the main challenges of coffee farming and analyzed the work of the FNC, aiming at “advancing in the strategy towards profitability of coffee growers.”
The Congress was also attended by important figures, such as the Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos; the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Juan Guillermo Zuluaga; and the Minister of Finance and Public Credit, Mauricio Cárdenas Santamaría.
The governmental leaders’ commitments include securing resources to finance renovation of 100,000 hectares of coffee crops per year until 2024, which will help produce 3 million bags more, that is, 75% of the target set in the last World Coffee Producers Forum to increase Colombian production by 4 million bags.
Renovation of coffee plantations is essential for a more productive and competitive coffee farming that ensures a production rate of over 14 million bags per year, aiming at an estimated production of 17 million bags by 2025, which in addition will improve income of coffee farmers and their families.
Coffee, the Colombian soul
According to Juan Guillermo Zuluaga, the Minister of Agriculture, “Coffee is like the homeland’s soul that identifies ourselves, unites us and makes us feel proud before the world”. In addition to this feeling about the best coffee in the world, coffee farming has helped create 100,000 jobs this year, significantly reducing unemployment rates.
Café de Colombia accounts for 40% of the country's sectoral exports. Standard coffee represents between 63% and 68%, and specialty coffee reaches nearly 23% of exports.
In marketing terms, the challenge for the coffee sector is increasing the global share and consumption in the domestic market, according to Roberto Vélez, the FNC CEO.
In line with Colombian coffee growers’ efforts to seek profitability without sacrificing the renowned high quality of Colombian coffee, Buencafé Liofilizado de Colombia, as a company of the FNC, joins coffee farmers’ voice and will to increase their share in the global market of freeze-dried coffee to improve profitability and competitiveness of the coffee industry in the country.
