Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy,
Recognizing The National Freedom Of Coffee Growers Of Colombia
June 5, 2007

Mr. LEAHY. I wish to speak briefly about the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia.

The federation is a nonprofit grassroots organization that organizes and monitors the extensive network of coffee growers throughout Colombia. Since 1927, it has worked to build an economically and environmentally sustainable coffee culture, strengthen community networks of coffee growers throughout the country, and promote exports of Colombian coffee worldwide. The federation will celebrate its 80th anniversary on June 27 and should be commended for its accomplishments.

Coffee is grown today in more than half of Colombia's 1,098 municipalities, employing some 2 million people comprising 566,000 families. Many of these people live and work in small towns and rural areas, not unlike the farmers of my own State of Vermont. In fact, several Vermont companies, including Green Mountain Coffee and Coffee Enterprises, sell coffee produced by Colombian coffee growers who are supported by the federation.

In a country where everyone has been affected by the armed conflict and the economic and social disruption it has caused, the Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia has focused increasingly on supporting the social aspects of coffee growers' lives. The federation has worked to bring trained teachers, schools, health clinics, roads, electrification, and other infrastructure to coffee-growing communities. It has provided technical training and the benefits of federation-sponsored research and development to coffee growers to help them improve yields and quality and to market their product. The results speak for themselves. Today, Colombia is the world's second largest coffee exporter by value, totaling $1.677 billion of coffee exported in 2006.

The Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia should be recognized and commended for the 80 years that it has contributed in important ways to the well-being of the Colombian people.

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