Colombian Government Creates Consultative Body of Coffee, Analysts Fear Parallel Institution to FNC
Colombian Government Creates Consultative Body of Coffee, Analysts Fear Parallel Institution to FNC
Bogota (Coffee Network )- The administration of Colombia’s first leftist president Gustavo Petro has moved swiftly to create a body that will act as consultative body of the government in matters of the coffee subsector, with many believing that it will create a parallel institution to the coffee growers federation FNC, but Ministers deny intention to take over the executive function of FNC.
The Ministry of Agriculture issued the resolution 000098 which seeks to create the organization of the coffee chain in Colombia under the name of the National Council of the coffee productive chain and agroindustry. The resolution was issued on 15 April.
National Council of the coffee and agro-industry productive chain will act as a consultative body of the national government in matters of the coffee subsector and as an organization of permanent consultation between the different links of the chain, reads the document.
The National Council of Coffee will be represented by the union of the coffee sector, which ones could deduct that it will be represented by FNC: The council will also be represented by producer associations of the coffee sector, representatives of cooperatives of the coffee sector and representatives of women.
But analysts said the Coffee Growers Federation must not attend the meetings of the National Council of Coffee because it implies ignoring that the national coffee committee is the only valid institution that has been in place since 1940.
“How the federation is going to legitimize the National Council of Coffee with its presence? By doing so, basically it removes the legitimacy of the National Coffee Committee as the maximum entity responsible for the coffee policy,” coffee expert Guillermo Trujillo, a former general secretary at FNC, told Coffee Network.
The incumbent Finance and Agriculture Ministers, had told journalists on 5 April that the government does not plan to substitute the FNC.
“The government is not interested in creating a parallel institution (to FNC),” finance minister Ricardo Bonilla said on 5 April.”What the government wants is listen to all the actors and those are the coffee family are represented in different ways throughout the country,” he told reporters, including this journalist, at the end of the meeting of the National coffee committee.
In addition, German Bahamon general manager of FNC should be reacting more fiercely to the new decree, Trujillo noted.
“This implies more hostility against the federation,” Trujillo stated.
Large coffee producer and exporter Juan Alvaro Arboleda said the government’s intention is to deceive coffee growers to later take over FNC.
In October, , Petro issued an ultimatum to FNC saying that if FNC is not restructured, he would put an end to the contract that gives it the administration of the National Coffee Growers Fund (FoNC). With coffee growers opposing the end of FNC and cancelation of the FoNC. Petro spoke to coffee growers in the department of Huila, Colombia’s largest coffee-producing province.
As Petro has found stiff opposition from coffee growers and resistance from the coffee growers federation (FNC), Petro is likely increasing the hostilities against he federation, analysts consulted said.
Colombians including opposition political parties, coffee growers and regular Colombian will hold rallies and marches in cities across Colombia April 21 to oppose President Gustavo Petro's administration amid large discontent for his policies, including threats that if the National Federation of Coffee Growers .
By Diana Delgado
