Gulping Peace Dividend: Colombia Deal May Mean More Coffee
- End of FARC-linked violence opens up farms to more investments
- Accelerating target for 41% expansion of bean harvests by 2020
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For coffee growers in Colombia, which supplies premium beans used by the likes of Starbucks Corp. and Nestle SA, peace at the end of a 52-year civil war means a lot more productivity.
Just ask Astrid Medina. After her father was killed by Marxist rebels a decade ago, she inherited his farm near the Andean village of Gaitania. At the time, only a fifth of the land had coffee trees in an area outsiders feared to visit. Once the army regained control, crop experts arrived to teach more efficient farming techniques and banks agreed to finance fertilizer and equipment. Medina quadrupled the area she cultivates and doubled output per acre.