COCAINE IS NOT THE ONLY DRUG COLOMBIA exports. Its principal legal source of foreign exchange is coffee. More than 300,000 farmers cultivate the crop, with an additional 2 million people directly employed by the in- dustry. Colombia’s slice of the world coffee trade has been about 15% in recent years, second only to Brazil; Colombia is the largest exporter of the mild arabicas which are increas- ingly replacing robustas as the drink of choice. Colombian coffee growers owe a debt of gratitude to the Cuban Revolution for 27 years of relative stability in world prices. The Kennedy administration, determined to stem the tide of Third World revolution with a program of capitalist social reform and development, initiated the International Coffee Agreement in 1962. Signed by 74 producer and con- sumer nations, the accord established a quota system based on annual estimates of demand. Latin America contributed 70% of global coffee production under the accord. Since 1980 the price has ranged between $1.20 and $1.40 per pound. As the price moved up or down, quotas were eased or tightened. Last September 30 the 27-year-old accord expired and the price of Colombian coffee plummeted nearly 50%. The United States is demanding an overhaul of the quota system in favor of the arabicas and an end to the cut- rate sale of surpluses to Eastern Europe. Although talks are scheduled for this spring, U.S. demands have already met strong opposition, particularly from Brazil, which concen- trates production on standard robustas. Until recently, the Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers had been funding a project encouraging coca farmers to switch to coffee. Ironically, as the price of coffee continues its nose dive, out-of-work pickers are taking jobs harvesting and processing coca. The United States is the world’s largest consumer of both cocaine and coffee.
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