From November 26 to 28, the 94th National Coffee Congress gathered 90 delegates in Bogotá, representing 560,000 coffee-producing families in Colombia. Despite the sector's significance, contributing 23% to the agricultural GDP and over $5,400 million in exports in 2024, the event went largely unnoticed. It underscores the precarious situation of coffee growers and the lack of funding for educational initiatives in regions like Huila.
The 94th National Coffee Congress took place in Bogotá from November 26 to 28, with 90 delegates representing 560,000 coffee-growing families. These families cultivate 842,000 hectares and produced 14.8 million 60-kg sacks from September 2024 to August 2025. Colombia, the world's third-largest coffee producer after Brazil and Vietnam, saw the crop contribute 23% to the agricultural GDP, 1% to the national GDP, and generate exports exceeding $5,400 million in 2024.
Yet, the congress attracted little public attention and left a minimal impact. The National Coffee Growers Federation's structure is described as undemocratic and conservative, preventing guild leaders from attending and debating key issues. Ninety percent of coffee growers are poor, with less than 5 hectares, supplementing coffee income with day labor, which fails to provide a decent living or university education for their children. Meanwhile, the Federation pays its general manager and executives salaries akin to those of multinational CEOs.
Huila ranks as the top producing department, accounting for 19.65% of the national harvest, estimated at 2.96 million 60-kg sacks last year, or one-fifth of the country's total. This achievement stems from small producers: 53% (46,000) have less than one hectare, and 37% (32,449) between one and three, meaning 90% of Huila's 87,700 coffee growers are smallholders.
The Huila Governor's Office, in partnership with the Universidad Surcolombiana, aims to establish the University School of Coffee through propaedeutic cycles for technical, technological, and professional studies related to the sector. However, financial resources are lacking. The National Coffee Fund, supported by six cents per exported pound from producers, receives about $21.6 million ($86,400 million Colombian pesos) from Huila's nearly three million sacks. Opita coffee growers are urged to demand that a portion of these funds support the school.