The National Coffee Council (CNC) ended the month of July with significant advances in the alignment between the entities of the Coffee Policy Deliberative Council (CDPC) and international representations, such as Rebraslon (Permanent Representation of Brazil at International Organizations in London) and the International Coffee Organization (ICO), in a month marked by intense and diverse meetings.
Four meetings were held with the presence of the CDPC working group, members of the Agricultural Policy Secretariat of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (SPA/Mapa), including secretary Guilherme Campos, and members of the Coffee Department (Decafé/Mapa). Ambassador José Augusto Silveira de Andrade Filho and Advisor Antônio Carlos de Souza Leão Galvão França for Rebraslon also participated, as well as the Executive Director of the OIC, Vanusia Nogueira.
The meetings were attended by directors and presidents of production and credit cooperatives, as well as entities and associations in the coffee sector. Among the main topics discussed, the agenda proposed by the ICO for the 138th International Coffee Council (ICC) and related events stood out. Brazil suggested expanding the agenda, including issues of interest to Brazilian and global coffee farming, in the implementation of the International Coffee Agreement (AIC) 2022.
“The moment is worrying, as the new legislation approved by the European Parliament, with its respective regulation (EUDR), will come into force on December 31, 2024, which has not yet brought clarity on the verification of sustainability and traceability of coffees produced in exporting countries ”, explained Silas Brasileiro, president of the CNC. The concern with global coffee production and consumption statistics, which serve as a parameter for actions in producing and importing countries, was also highlighted.
Another point discussed was the proposal to create a public-private Sustainability and Resilience Fund for the coffee value chain. “We understand that the program to support producers in central countries and other suppliers, such as Africa, without the inclusion of Brazil, is not fair”, highlighted Silas Brasileiro. He warned that the fund could be a threat to Brazil and emphasized the need for assessments that predict benefits for the country, as the pocket of poverty in Brazil's favelas resembles the same challenge facing other coffee producers around the world.
The discussion on Diversification of Origin, focused on increasing the supply of coffee and not on quality, will directly impact the producer's price and income, as it will generate an imbalance between supply and demand, with repercussions on the price paid to the producer, was another important topic . About the OIC Board of Affiliated Members (Jama) – without limiting the number of participants – raises concerns for Brazil that it will become an exclusive space for NGOs, dealing with ideological themes that are of no interest to the country.
A significant achievement was achieved by the OIC board, Dr. Vanusia, when she managed to remove the mention of coffee as a product with great potential for deforestation in a G7 document, considered a diplomatic victory for the sector.
The videoconferences held discussed common interests of both the diplomatic representation and the ICO, considering alignment as fundamental for Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer, especially with the approach of the meeting of the 138th International Coffee Council (ICC) and the parallel meetings, which will take place from September 4th to 13th, 2024. The Brazilian delegation will have an active participation in the meeting, which will feature an extensive agenda such as the G7 and the meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac).
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