Colombia: MinAgricultura confirms 52-billion COP investment to protect the coffee sector against El Niño

Colombia's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, with unanimous approval from the National Coffee Growers' Committee, launched the "Cosecha de Derechos Cafeteros – Fertilización para la Vida" program, with an investment of approximately 52 billion COP from the Coffee Price Stabilization Fund (FEPC) and the FAIA Mitigación 2026 program, to protect the coffee sector against climate and market shocks associated with El Niño and rising global fertilizer prices. The initiative will benefit up to 108,000 coffee growers across 610 municipalities in 23 departments, with subsidies of up to 40% for fertilization in renewal-stage crops and 30% for production-stage ones—plus an additional 5% bonus for women and youth—with a benefit of up to 1.8 million COP per producer. Official estimates indicate that adequate fertilization can boost productivity by up to 42%, positioning the program as a proactive strategy to protect the income and stability of coffee-farming families, 97% of whom are small producers cultivating less than 3 hectares.