06:39 AM
The Municipal Committee of Coffee Growers of Jericó has expressed its resounding rejection of the participation of the AngloGold Ashanti mining company in the municipality’s first coffee festivalscheduled for June 15 and 16, called Caféstival.
In a letter addressed to the mayor of Jérico, Sebastián Garcés Piedrahita, the coffee growers state their disagreement with the lack of inclusion of the Committee in the organization of the event and criticize the presence of AngloGold Ashanticonsidering that this company represents a threat to the coffee identity and the environment of Jericho.
“It causes us great surprise and discomfort that its Administration did not take into account, in any way, the Municipal Committee of Coffee Growers for the realization of the aforementioned event and that, on the contrary, if the participation of AngloGold Ashanti were included,” the letter reads.
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The letter, signed by the eight members of the coffee committee, points out that the arrival of AngloGold Ashanti in Jericho has generated a “cracking of the socio-cultural fabric” and an atmosphere of “hostility and anxiety” in the rural area. Besides, express their concern about the environmental impact that mining exploitation could have in the regionaffecting the sustainable development of coffee growing.
“As representatives of the coffee growers, We consider it our duty to express the most resounding rejection of the presence of AngloGold Ashanti at the first coffee festival, taking into account that this mining company represents not only a serious threat to the coffee identity of our municipality, but also for the environment of rural Jerico,” the committee indicated in its letter to the mayor.
Next, the Coffee Growers Committee states that paying tribute to the coffee tradition of Jericho implies “recognizing, preserving and promoting the coffee vocation as a cultural heritage and fundamental pillar of the Jericoan economy.” They highlight the work of coffee-growing families in the development of the municipality and criticize that the presence of AngloGold Ashanti in the Caféstival is a “deceptive tactic” to obtain “social licensing.”
“We believe that it is absurd that the questioned mining company, with the endorsement of its Administration, “honors the coffee tradition of Jericó,” as it appears in the promotional material for the Caféstival,” expressed the members of the coffee union in that municipality.
In view of the current situation, the Coffee Growers Committee makes a called on the authorities and the community in general to defend and protect the interests of coffee-growing families, above the interests of a foreign mining company. They consider that coffee farming is “a serious threat to our coffee tradition and identity.”
Likewise, they added that, for generations, “coffee-growing families, many of whom are today subject to harassment by AngloGold Ashanti“, have been architects of the economic development of the region, not only cultivating Colombia’s flagship product, but also helping in the construction of roads, schools, rural aqueducts, housing, “all this, with the support of the Coffee Growers Committee and the National Federation of Coffee Growers; “These entities, which due to their long history and importance,” they concluded.
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For its part, the mining company, through its official channels, is inviting people to participate in the Caféstival, “an event with the aroma, flavor and passion of Coffee. United by a territory that is built with proposals and opportunities for everyone,” says the message on their social networks.
