The Ministry of Agriculture assured that Colombia's sales abroad of products such as Hass avocado, beef, tilapia and panela had a growth of between 36% and 60%, between January and September.
In the midst of the pandemic, Colombian agricultural exports totaled US $ 5,713 million, representing a growth of 3.6% compared to the same period of the previous year.
It should be noted that, in addition to export earnings, the sector contributes positively to the number of unemployed in the country.
During his participation in Expo Agrofuturo, the Minister of Commerce, José Manuel Restrepo, assured that since 2018 the Government has accompanied 69 investment projects for US $ 1,187 million and that they have generated more than 18,000 jobs in the agri-food sector.
On the one hand, 50,999 tons of Hass avocado were exported, equivalent to US $ 34.5 million, achieving a growth of 42.6% in volume and 34.5% in value, compared to the total exported in the same period of 2019 .
Likewise, 20,535 tons of beef were exported, representing a total of US $ 72 million.
“The Ministry of Agriculture continues to advance in its goal of diversifying the export basket. Thus, we have reached 27 new admissibility, for products such as meat, coffee, rice, Hass avocado, papaya, banana, lemon, sweet citrus, seeds, among others ”, said Rodolfo Zea, Minister of Agriculture.
Regarding panela, 9,058 tons were exported, which represented US $ 13 million and in tilapia they were 8,564 tons, valued at US $ 33 million.
Other products that showed positive variations in the market were mango, Tahiti lime and dairy products, reaching percentages of 26.3%, 22.3% and 20.6%, respectively.
This growth makes the agricultural and agro-industrial sector a key area in the economic recovery of Colombia.
“We will continue to be able to attract efficiency investment to one of the most relevant construction sectors in the future of the country, the Commitment to Colombia, not only because of its impact in terms of export vocation and job creation, but also because of its profound impact in rural areas, social impact and because without a doubt it can be a very important path for Colombia to achieve recovery after the pandemic ”, said Minister José Manuel Restrepo.
Similarly, Zea, indicated that the goal for 2022 is for the total amount of exports to be US $ 8,524 million, which means that a growth of 50% is expected, projecting that US $ 3,003 million will be from the non-traditional group.
“It is an ambitious goal as it surpasses the record value of sector exports by about US $ 1.1 billion. In addition, we want more and more households around the world to know and enjoy Colombian products such as coffee, Hass avocado, beef, fruits and others, ”said Zea Navarro.
Source: https://www.infobae.com/america/colombia/2020/11/03/las-exportaciones-del-agro-colombiano-tuvieron-un-crecimiento-de-36/
