Coffee produced in San Juan del Oro district, belonging to Sandia province (Puno region), will exceed 10,000 quintals by the end of 2017.
The figure will represent a 50% increase over the same period the year before, district Mayor Jose Orlando Jara said.
He went on to add the productivity increase will be the outcome of productive and road projects funded by Peru's State-run National Commission for Life Without Drugs (Devida).
The said organization contributes to socioeconomic development by facilitating interconnection and communication among small villages, thus reducing time and costs of transportation for goods and people, which favors legal economies.
During the last two years, over 5,000 residents (1,200 families) abandoned informal and illegal activities —related to coca growing— and returned to coffee-production thanks to projects boosted by the local municipality and Devida.
According to the Jara, projects allowed residents' hope to rise again.
Producers have established partnerships and sold their products to international target-markets through Cecovasa and C.A.C. San Juan de Oro cooperatives.
Over recent years, the city's mayor managed seven productive projects linked to value chains of coffee, citrus, and forestry products.
In this sense, specialists joined the area implementing recreational and educational activities aimed at explaining the benefits of sustainable alternative development to farmers.
(END) NDP/MAO/MVB