TİKA Supports the Economic Growth of Indigenous People in Colombia

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) built a locally-grown organic coffee conversion-processing plant in cooperation with the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) in order to support the production activities of indigenous communities and strengthen their economy.

Built in the ONIC Java Liviana Farm with a total of 11,300 coffee trees and an average annual coffee production capacity of 4 tonnes in Silvania, Cundinamarca Department, the coffee laboratory and processing plant are expected to directly benefit 70 indigenous families and 50 indigenous associations throughout the project.

In his speech at the inauguration ceremony of the plant, Orlando Rayo Acosta, President of the ONIC, the umbrella organization representing 800,000 indigenous people in Colombia, thanked TİKA for its support. Acosta said, “The greatest diversity in our country is found in indigenous territories. As indigenous peoples, we have great cultural, spiritual, and traditional richness. We are trying to provide assistance not only to our own indigenous peoples, but also to the whole country and the entire humanity. Thank you very much for coming to our aid. We hope that we will continue to cooperate and build friendly ties.”

Noting that the project was a great achievement for the ONIC, Héber Tegría, Head of the Department of Administration, Planning, and Finance at the ONIC, said, “We will continue to strengthen our relations with international organizations that promote the strengthening of the economies of indigenous peoples. This project is a big step allowing indigenous peoples to show Colombia and the whole world that they can develop economic systems and initiatives, generate income, and be sustainable, thanks to the machinery delivered by TİKA today.”

Implemented as part of the Programme for Supporting the Economic and Social Initiatives of Indigenous People in South America, the project aims to initiate the coffee processing and marketing processes as a complement to coffee planting and harvesting activities.

The project included the donation of coffee sorting, classification, grinding, roasting, tasting, and quality analysis equipment for the plant. It is also aimed to provide training on good production practices and coffee analysis and tasting as part of the project.