STiR coffee and tea magazine

30 STiR coffee and tea | 2023 Issue 1 (February / March) fee and compliance with Geographic Indi- cation tracking and other certifications What about "Big Coffee"? The EU is the second largest market for Brazil's huge exports of instant coffee, and the sector is speaking up. ABICS, the Brazilian Association of Instant Coffee Industries, has said that the aims of the EU Green Deal are good, but the law should be applied judiciously in the case of coffee. "Brazilian coffee production makes no pressure whatsoever in deforestation, because it is grown in regions that have been consolidated as farming regions through many years. Even though there may be growth in farming areas, there will not be the need to deforest. Quite the opposite, coffee production in Brazil has been long known as an environmental protective activity, of reforestation and watercourse protection," ABICS states. Some stakeholders point to the uni- lateral nature of the European proposal and its potential negative impacts on small farms. "One-sided rules weaken international trade, and with that, it also causes social exclusion," says Marcos Matos, CEO of the Brazilian Coffee Ex- porters' Council (CeCafé). "We need to advance a proactive agenda and explain the progress hap- pening in the countryside. To show that what really empowers sustainability is to broaden trade, acknowledge good prac- tices, and not just impose risks, costs, and red tape on commerce. That could cre- ate a societal disruption risk at the farm level," Matos says. ABICS, too, has called out the issue of red tape. "It is a laborious process, because not only the technological solu- tions must be in place, but all agents in the coffee value chain must be involved — which bring us to the additional costs of the traceability system, and yet we are not certain if the market or consumer is eager to pay for it," ABICS states. As for red tape, Matos says that not all details of the Green Deal's implemen- tation have been settled, and there are 18 to 24 months to get ready. No panic. With or without the EU law, produc- ers might be able to sell more coffee at better prices if they can show it doesn't harm nature, since consumers care. A GlobeScan survey in Europe in 2022 found that 78% of interviewees believe that products that cause deforestation should be banned. Most of Brazil's arabica coffees are produced using the natural process, and beans are sun-dried on huge patios. Grand homes grace some of Brazil's coffee plantations, which have long been a cornerstone of the nation's economy. Photo by K. J. Yeung, courtesy of RGC Coffee. Photo by K. J. Yeung, courtesy of RGC Coffee. Photo by K. J. Yeung, courtesy of RGC Coffee. "We need to advance a proactive agenda and explain the progress happening in the countryside." — Marcos Matos, CeCafé.

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