In a joint effort to ensure a successful coffee harvest, the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers of Risaralda has sealed a strategic alliance with the Government of Risaralda, the National Police and the National Army. This initiative, known as the United Plan for the Coffee Harvest, has the main objective of consolidating coordinated actions to ensure the collection of grain in a timely manner in the department.
The executive director of the Risaralda Coffee Growers Committee, Jorge Humberto Echeverri Marulanda, highlighted the importance of this inter-institutional collaboration for the well-being of the 19,000 coffee-growing families in the region. “We started our work tables around the harvest plan in an articulated manner, to provide a very good service and support our coffee growers for this upcoming harvest,” said Echeverri Marulanda during the meeting.
At the meeting, three fundamental pillars were outlined that will guide the development of the United Plan for the Coffee Harvest: profitability, security and dignity of coffee work. The safety of collectors and coffee growers is a priority, and to this end, the active participation of the National Police and the National Army has been ensured. Lieutenant Colonel Miguel Ricardo Moncaleano Ocampo, Operational Commander of the Risaralda Police Department, reiterated the commitment of the National Police to guarantee security throughout the department.
For its part, the National Army, represented by the San Mateo Battalion, will deploy teams to carry out patrols in the rural areas of the coffee-growing municipalities. Major Jaime Salinas, Second Commander of the San Mateo de Pereira Battalion, emphasized the importance of the security aspect in the Cosecha Plan and announced the start of anticipated tasks, including a services fair to demonstrate the commitment to the coffee growers of Risaralda.
The Harvest Plan will have the institutional presence of various allies, such as the Carabineros Police, the Military GAULA, the Municipal Mayors and the Coffee Growers Cooperative. All these efforts will focus on protecting and directly serving the coffee growing population, allowing them to carry out their work with peace of mind and safety.
From the Government of Risaralda, a firm commitment has been expressed to guarantee not only the safety, but also the dignity of the work of the collectors. Elizabeth Diosa, Director of Security and Citizen Coexistence of the Government of Risaralda, assured that they will work under the leadership of the National Federation of Coffee Growers to guarantee fair conditions for workers. “We join the work for the coffee growers in this plan, where we give the guarantee to all the people who arrive for the coffee harvest that in Risaralda it does pay to collect coffee,” said Diosa.
With the hope of collecting more than 70% of the annual coffee production in the 14 municipalities of Risaralda, the Coffee Growers Committee ratified its commitment to the well-being of coffee-growing families in the region. Thanks to the collaboration and coordination between the different entities of the department, success is expected in this important work.