The 2013 Colombian coffee growers strike was a cessation of activities of the

Colombian coffee Coffee production in Colombia has a reputation for producing mild, well-balanced coffee beans. Colombia's average annual coffee production of 11.5 million bags is the third total highest in the world, after Brazil and Vietnam, though highe ...

economic sector, carried out with the realization of different mobilizations in several municipalities of the country, and consequently, the blocking of

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s and

riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

s between

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

s and the

Mobile Anti-Disturbance Squadron Mobile Anti-Disturbances Squadron or Escuadrón Móvil Antidisturbios (ESMAD) in Spanish is a Colombian National Police riot control unit specialized on preventing and/or controlling public disturbances and riots, as well controlling vandalism in ...

(ESMAD). The

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

began on 25 February 2013, and on 2 March, despite reaching agreements between the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

and the representatives of the coffee growers, the strike continued. Finally, on the 8th of the same month, the parties reached an agreement, through which improvements will be recognized to the exercise of coffee growing, and therefore, the end of the strike. The protests of the coffee growers took place after they considered that the national government was not helping them to face the

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

difficulties of the time. According to the

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

s, coffee growing, emblematic in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, stopped being a

profitable In economics, profit is the difference between the revenue that an economic entity has received from its outputs and the total cost of its inputs. It is equal to total revenue minus total cost, including both explicit and implicit costs. It i ...

business because

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

had fallen considerably. For its part, the

National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, ( es, link=no, Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia), abbreviated as Colombian Coffee Growers Federation or Fedecafé, is a non-profit business organization, popularly known for its ...

(FEDECAFÉ), the highest body promoting coffee production in the country, at the head of its

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

, Luis Genaro Muñoz, together with the National Coffee Committee, expressed strong rejection to the strike, arguing their non-sympathy and suggesting the participation of illegal armed organizations in the events. The

President of Colombia The president of Colombia ( es, Presidente de Colombia), officially known as the president of the Republic of Colombia ( es, Presidente de la República de Colombia) or president of the nation ( es, Presidente de la Nacion) is the head of stat ...

Juan Manuel Santos Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by profession and a journalist by trade, ...

, and his

ministers Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...

, apart from agreeing with what FEDECAFÉ and the Committee said, went further, calling the strike unjustified and urging the peasants to "defend the institutionality of the grain". The strike ended on 8 March after an agreement between both parties.

References

External links

Crónica del paro cafetero en Irra, Caldas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbian coffee growers strike, 2013 2013 in Colombia 2013 protests Protests in Colombia Economic history of Colombia Labor disputes in Colombia Coffee in Colombia Agriculture and forestry strikes

See also

References

External links