Vanusia Nogueira
Member countries of the International Coffee Organization, the main intergovernmental body dealing with global coffee issues, on Thursday elected Brazilian farmer Vanusia Nogueira as the new executive director, the first woman to lead the organization.
The change at the ICO happens as pressure is building in the global coffee industry as well as in other food processing sectors such as cocoa for a more sustainable and fair environment, particularly regarding farmers.
Coffee farmers around the world have been under pressure in recent years due to insufficient financial return from the activity, which has caused the abandonment of farms in places such as Central America, boosting illegal immigration flows to the United States.
But prices rose to a 10-year peak in recent weeks after harsh weather hurt production in top grower Brazil last year.
Nogueira will replace another Brazilian, Jose Dauster Sette, who was at the helm of the organization since 2017.
She said in a statement that she is aware of the challenges facing the industry.
“We will seek sector coordination to work on priority issues such as prosperous incomes and well-being to cover costs and enable a decent life for producers,” she said, “expand market transparency, propose and implement global policies and financing mechanisms, and generate focus on sustainable production and supply as well as responsible consumption.”
Nogueira comes from a traditional coffee-producing family in Brazil and has previously headed the country’s specialty coffee association. She was also among the organizers of the not-for-profit World Coffee Producers Forum (WCPF).
