På en konferanse for kaffebønder i Colombia nylig, ble det foreslått at man skulle begynne å dyrke robusta i tillegg til dagens produksjon av arabica.

But it became the most contentious topic at the three-day conference discussing how to make Colombian coffee more competitive and efficient, as producers fear it could cut the often-hefty premium their arabicas command internationally.

"There are distinct types of coffees and Colombia has positioned itself for decades as a producer of arabicas of excellent quality. I would advise Colombia against making this move," Silva said.