"Coffee goes through a bitter moment": producers in Iván Duque

After a meeting in Bogotá on Wednesday, representatives of the 15 coffee departments called on the national government and the elected president to badyze the actions to deal with a fall in the domestic price of grain. 19659003] The Governing Board of the National Federation of Coffee Growers on Wednesday called the new government "the concern that holds back coffee growers and their families" for several factors related to the profitability of productive activity.

A statement issued by the Federation highlights the decline in the national price paid for the grain load, which "in the first seven months of the year fell by more than 11%, which means that producers received on average about $ 90,000 per load less. "The figure increased from $ 849,000 per load in July 2017 to $ 717,000 per load in July 2018.

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Representatives of coffee growers added factors that exacerbate the situation, such as "the increase in labor costs, badociated with the increase in the minimum wage, which exceeds 5% annual increase in the last decade ". They also mentioned the costs of inputs for production, such as fertilizers, which they say grew by 8% last year.

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"Production costs do not allow coffee to resume the dynamics of renewal of coffee plantations and other activities to maintain the productivity of coffee coffee plantations and thus the income of the coffee families. "

In this sense," invited "the current government and the elected president, Ivan Duque," so that as soon as possible carry out a joint badysis of the actions to cope at this bitter moment that the culture of coffee and other issues of great importance for the union and the country, given by the impact of the sector in the national economy and regional social stability " .