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ICAFE
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The Costa
Rican Coffee Institute, ICAFE, is a
non-governmental public entity that promotes the coffee industry in the areas
of agronomy, promotion, research and the transfer of technology, and
regulates the marketing of coffee. This
entity was created in 1933 by the
enactment of the law regarding the Regulation of Relations between
Coffee Producers, Processors and
Exporters, No 2762 of 1961.
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ICAFE Functions:
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The
institution provides fair regulation regarding relations between the
different sectors of the coffee industry. It contributes to the development
of the coffee enterprise and the agricultural diversity of the country; it
supports all plant milling facilities, exportation and marketing of coffee;
it promotes Costa Rican coffee in and out of the country; it researches and
develops agricultural and industrial technology and it approves the final
minimum sales price that each coffee miller must pay to the producer.
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ICAFE Services:
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The
institute offers individual and group technical assistance; it takes soil,
plant, and water samples for official reports; it distributes parasitoids, entomologically pathogenic fungi and Coffee
Berry Borer traps; it selects
authorized seeds; advises regarding ISO rules; checks for sustainable coffee
and carries out coffee quality and Ocratoxins analysis.
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CICAFE
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The Center for Coffee Research (CICAFE), created in
May, 1997, by ICAFE, develops and shares technology in various areas of the
coffee growing enterprise.
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Over an area of 10 hectares (24.71 acres), CICAFE
undertakes research on the cultivation of coffee, through field studies on improving
genetics. It has a Chemical Laboratory, quality control, and a history of
research that builds on more than 50 years of scientific work on coffee in Costa Rica.
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Located
in the Heredian province, the land has ideal
characteristics for experiments: 1,200 meters high (3,937 feet), average
annual temperature of 22.7°C
(72.9°F)
and an annual average humidity of 78%.
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Besides
these elements, the zone is identified by its Andisol
soil type, derived from volcanic ashes, with the other half made up of
organic material and excellent texture. On the other three hectares (7.4 acres), CICAFE has
buildings that serve as the branch of the Costa Rican Coffee Institute for
Technological Management.
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