Producers of 75% of the World's Coffee Excluded From Pivotal Policy and Industry Decision Making; Small Scale Family Coffee Farmers Gathered in Salvador Declare: ''The Coffee Crisis is Not Over, and We Must Be a Part of Finding the Solution''.

SALVADOR, Brazil -- A delegation of almost 200 small scale family coffee farmers gathered in Salvador, Brazil this week to make their reality and single most important demand heard at the second World Coffee Conference (WCC).

Their reality - the coffee crisis is not over for the 25 million small scale family coffee farmers worldwide.

Their demand - they want to have a voice and be active members of the international coffee debate, becoming an integral part of the solutions that will shape their futures as well as those of their families and communities.

The WCC, sponsored by the International Coffee Organization (ICO), is being held in Salvador from September 23 to 25.

The delegation represents coffee farmers and cooperatives throughout the world that do not have the financial or human resources to express their concerns first-hand at the conference. Lorenzo Castillo, head of the Junta Nacional del Cafe in Peru, said "The US$550 registration fee and the manner in which the World Coffee Conference was organized limit the access and participation of small coffee producers, responsible for 75% of the world's coffee production." Castillo continued, "Meetings like this must create an environment that guarantees opportunities for small coffee producer participation."

Carta de Salvador, drafted this week by the delegation, will be delivered to Nestor Osorio, president of the ICO, at the WCC on Saturday. The declaration highlights that the coffee crisis continues worldwide, it outlines the problems faced by small scale family coffee farmers and proposes solutions. The text will be made available after it is presented to Osorio.

In another effort to give voice to the farmers left out of the Conference, the Brazilian National Confederation of Agriculture Workers, CONTAG, will hold a Family Agriculture Coffee Fair this weekend. The Fair will run this Friday, Saturday and Sunday outside of the Pestana Bahia Hotel where the conference is being held. Coffee samples from producers worldwide including India and Ethiopia as well as musical and cultural presentations will be featured.

Finally, a series of workshops for the delegation coordinated by Oxfam International, CONTAG, IUF (International Union of Food Workers), the Dutch Coffee Coalition, and GLACC (Global Alliance on Coffee and Commodities) were conducted over two days prior to the WCC. The workshops addressed issues such as the development of the Common Code for the Coffee Community (4Cs), sustainability, labor rights, corporate buying practices and trends in the coffee sector. Constantino Casasbuenas of Oxfam International stated, "We felt it was very important to bring the members of this delegation together and offer an opportunity for information sharing and debate on key issues that affect their daily lives." Casasbuenas continued, "Their input is crucial. Any sustainable solution to the coffee crisis needs to involve these coffee farmers."

To interview Lorenzo Castillo or Constantino Casasbuenas, or for more information, please contact Helen DaSilva ([e-mail] or + 55 71 9606 3489) or Renato Guimaraes ([e-mail] or [phone]). Please inquire for interviews in French, German or Dutch.