12/22/2008 14h47
SP Government bets in gourmet coffee against crisis
Gazeta Mercantil - 12/22/2008
In 2009 São Paulo coffee growers will bet on products with more added-value in order to produce income and fight the difficulties caused by the crisis. The purpose of the state government is to unite the chain to increase the promotion of high quality products, which, on the average, are worth twice the value of conventional products, developing an exclusive identification of origin. With that, it is expected that the income increase continues demanding man power and helping to support the economy. The State of São Paulo is known worldwide as the cradle of the Brazilian coffee growing and, to date, it has great influence regarding production of quality. According to the São Paulo Coffee Industry Union (Sindicafé), nearly 35% of the volume of roast coffee of the Country is produced in São Paulo. Coffee is in eighth place in the ranking in value of agricultural production in the State. According to the Secretariat of Agriculture, the product should yield an income of R$ 1.08 billion (US$ 469.6 million) this year. Nevertheless, the State is the second largest industrial region in quantity in Brazil, with 240 companies and that requires a great deal of man power. It is only second to the state of Minas Gerais, with 350 companies, according to the Sindicafé. The estimate is that the income with the processing of coffee should reach R$ 6.7 billion in 2008 (US$ 2.9 billion). "I believe the future of coffee is in quality. Great producers like Vietnam produce the common product, and that's the reason why I want to organize producers and industries to make use of the potential of the São Paulo coffee and work in the identification of the origin of the production, including for the exportation. Besides adding value, it helps to fight the crisis with the increase of income", said the Governor of the State of São Paulo, José Serra, during the 6
th Edition of the Best Coffees of São Paulo. The Governor, who is a known appreciator of coffee, also added that the gourmet product has regular consumption in the world. "It is a market that is not saturated yet. Our intention is to organize the coffee chain and improve the special series to fuel its participation up", he completed.
