German Bahamon Most Optional Candidate To Win FNC, Despite Scrutiny
Bogota (Coffee Network) -The most optional candidate German Bahamon to head the coffee growers federation in Colombia is facing increased scrutiny as he carried out political activities during the year immediately prior to the coffee elections, while he is a shareholder of a company that buys and exports coffee, facts that should disqualify him, Red de Veeduria Ciudadana, an organization that seeks increased oversight.
But Bahamon has an overwhelming support of the majority of coffee committees, and if this denouncement from Red de Veeduria does not prosper, he most likely will be the new head of the coffee growers federation, three coffee experts consulted by Coffee Network said.
Earlier last week, seven of the 15 coffee committees had supported him, but such support has increased as the election day of the new head of coffee growers federation approaches, said another coffee expert.
Bahamon, who comes from the country’s largest coffee-producing department of Huila, is the most optional candidate to win on Thursday, when an extraordinary coffee congress will take place to choose the new head of FNC.
“President Petro initially said he did not like none of the three shortlisted candidates. He did not say or do anything else. Bahamon most likely will win because he comes from Huila,” said a representative from the El Nariño coffee committee, who declined to be mentioned.
Coffee committees, who initially abstained from voting for three shortlisted candidates, have decided to support Bahamon as they don’t want to have enmities with the government, said another coffee analyst.
Bahamon is being heard to be supported by a large coffee producing and export company.
Red de Veeduria Ciudadana said the rules of the FNC bans candidates who had been engaged in the purchase, transformation or export of coffee.
Ricardo Naranjo, representative from the departmental assembly, said coffee growers do not want to support Sandra Morelli as she has judicial troubles when she acted as the country’s comptroller general. The potential election of Santiago Pardo is not well-received as he is perceived as the continuation of incumbent director Roberto Velez. Naranjo said the troubles of Velez with coffee cooperatives and the poorly managed situation of coffee futures augur a bad future to Pardo.
The Colombia’s coffee committee of the coffee growers federation has chosen Sandra Morelli, German Alberto Bahamon and Santiago Pardo in the shortlist of three candidates to compete for the head of the coffee growers federation (FNC), FNC said.
Bahamón proposes strengthening coffee grower cooperatives, which includes mitigating the risks of future purchases; optimize the income of producers by reducing costs; better infrastructure in housing, tertiary roads and industrialization, with producers as partners of threshing plants, for example, as well as improving access to credit for low-income housing, for which land titling is key; and improve education for families.
Bahamon runs a coffee family farm where they grow nine different types of beans, people familiar said.
Coffee expert Guillermo Trujillo believes Bahamon most likely be the new head of FNC as he has managerial capabilities and knows the coffee industry.
People familiar with the situation said some coffee growers are pushing to have an FNC director from the Huila province, Colombia’s coffee-largest producing department. Huila weights almost 20% of the total coffee production with 144,120 hectares.
Coffee producing department, whose production is higher than 9% of the country’s total output will have six votes during the polling session. Departments with coffee output below 3 and 9% will have three votes, and those below 3% of output will have two votes.
“Bahamon knows the institutionality of the FNC. He has held important posts in international companies and has the support of the Huila department, which is right now the largest producer of coffee,” Trujillo told
Pardo raised as priorities maintaining the union unity and legitimacy, in favor of all coffee growers, whether large or small; achieve the prosperity of coffee growing by incorporating new technologies, innovation and connectivity, which includes expanding coffee public goods; strengthen value-added strategies hand in hand with major players in the global coffee industry; and promote effective generational splicing with the help of training.
Morelli recognizes the importance of addressing the high costs of fertilizers, for which the massive importation of the input and even production in the country can help; the high production costs in general, for which Cenicafé's technological developments would be of great help for more efficient collection or to take advantage of economies of scale; the construction and improvement of tertiary roads; continue betting on the high quality and added value of coffee; establish a pension program, and improve coffee education.
By Diana Delgado
