Jose Ignacio Perez is the legal representative of the Cooperativa Agrominera de Íquira. For 18 years he has been engaged in mining, an activity that for him and also for the miners of his organization must respect the agricultural activities of the region. This bond between miners and farmers has led them to implement better environmentally friendly practices in their mines. We spoke with Jose Ignacio about the values ​​of the cooperative and the motivations of these miners from the department of Huila (Colombia) located in a corner of the Andes mountain. Their dreams of taking their product to clients around the world, and their commitment that has made them worthy of Fairmined certification for 6 consecutive years.

JG: You started in 2004, you were once a miner who ventured out to look for gold, what do you highlight from all that history?

JI: There have been many changes, because we had very different expectations than we have today. In 2014 we decided to get certified because we were more organized and eager to progress. At first, the subject of first-time certification audits was very difficult. Although we already had a fairly high percentage of requirements, we knew it was a huge responsibility, but we rolled up our sleeves and got the job done, and it has become something we are proud of because we are already in our sixth year of Fairmined certification.

JG: What has Fairmined certification brought you?

JI: If it had not been for the certification, the Cooperative would not have been able to achieve all that it has achieved. For example, in our administrative part we hired 2 engineers and support staff. Also we helped in terms of benefits for associates and communities, all part of the Fairmined award that we have received. Here the community has already learned that the Cooperative provides work, helps, supports road maintenance; even during the closings due to the pandemic caused by covid-19 they saw our support.

“If it had not been for the certification, the cooperative would not have been able to achieve all that it has achieved”

JG: How have you experienced the pandemic caused by covid-19?

 JI: For the Cooperative it has been hard because the issue of sales has decreased; we stopped for a while to see what was happening, but after the authorities’ announcements we continued to follow the biosecurity measures. We bought a lot of things to protect the miners and we continued to work without a problem. But the truth was we were used to selling the gold we had very quickly, it was just a matter of calling and negotiating and selling. With the pandemic, we have had to wait, and accumulate quantities to make bigger shipments.

JG: What motivates you to maintain that constant concern for the environment?

JI: It is for the benefit of the community itself. Our families are dedicated to growing coffee, bananas, and we must think about them. We seek and want both businesses to continue to be sustained for the benefit of all, not only for us as miners, or as a cooperative, but for the communities, because with the Fairmined award we give support to schools, the parish, roads, etc.

JG: What do you think is the main value that has characterized you since you began to seek the Fairmined certification?

JI: Since we founded our organization, we have sought to protect the environment. It has been a goal that we have set ourselves: to reduce the environmental impacts of waste in the mines. All the associates of the Cooperative agreed that our plants would not have dumping, they would be in closed circuits. We saw that we were causing problems for our families and communities, so we started looking for a solution. We built the sedimentation and neutralization tanks, and we had good results; that’s why when we applied for the environmental license, we got approval.

Nor do we dump sterile mixtures on the slopes or any water source; We use this material for the maintenance of the tracks. And regard tue fuel and the machines maintenance, we hire people who come from the city of Neiva and take the waste, filters, etc. We also do not allow miners to cut wood here; We have established that everyone who needs wood has to buy certified wood that has their permits, to mitigate all these damages that are done to the environment.

“We saw that we were causing problems for our family, our communities, so we started looking for solutions.”

JG: What would you say to potential Fairmined gold buyers?

JI: First, there is gold here for a long time. The first miners that started have been working in the exploitation for around forty years, others have been working for eighteen, fifteen years, and there are mines that we are just beginning to explore to estimate quantities of gold, and we will continue to extract material. And second, with commercialization, we are going to continue growing and this is a benefit for all, because here eighty percent of the communities depend on the Cooperative, on mining. We are ready and we have gold to offer to the market.

Being part of the transformation is also supporting those who day by day build a fair, clean and sustainable mining. Acquire fairmined certified gold and join this chain of change. Get to know the agricultural organization Íquira.