Organic products from Colombia are increasingly being welcomed in the European Union. In 2019 Colombia managed to position itself among the EU's top 10 suppliers of organic products, going from ranking 13 in 2018 to ranking 8 in 2019, according to the European Commission's report on EU imports of organic agri-food products.
Colombian organic products exports to the EU went from 63,114 tons in 2018 to 87,341 tons in 2019, increasing by 38%, the report states. It should be noted that Colombia's organic exports of fresh or dried tropical fruits in 2019 increased by 31% over the previous year, going from 19,000 tons to 24,900 tons.
The EU's top 10 suppliers of organic products, in order, are China, Ukraine, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Turkey, India, Colombia, Kazakhstan, and Brazil. The main importing member states in 2019 were the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Colombia, the future pantry of the world
Colombia is called to be one of the world's food pantries, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The country has nearly 40 million hectares that can be devoted to agriculture but have only cultivated about 8 million hectares. The country's tropical climatic conditions make it possible to produce a wide variety of foods throughout the year.
According to data from the National Administrative Department of Statistics of Colombia, the country's main subsector exports in 2019 included bananas (12.8%), fresh fruits (3%), and processed fruits and vegetables (1%), among others.
In 2019, the agricultural and agro-industrial GDP totaled 25.589 billion dollars, amounting to a 9.5% share of Colombia's GDP. In 2019, the agri-food sector's exports amounted to 7.296 billion dollars, and Colombia exported its products to more than 160 countries. Coffee, fresh flowers, bananas, oils and fats, cocoa derivatives, sugars, and honey were the main exported subsectors. A sector that accounts for 1 out of every 5 jobs in the country (22% of national employment). 2020 will mark the 7th anniversary of the Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the EU, which has allowed the country to achieve a preferential and permanent relationship with a key player in the world economy.
For more information: https://procolombia.co 