The economic reopening of EU countries, such as France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, boosted Colombian exports of exotic fruits, as corroborated by the 22% increase in sales abroad in the first quarter of 2021 achieved by the Nativa Produce company.
This Colombian firm entered the European market a decade ago with cape gooseberry, gulupa, granadilla, and tamarillo. Now, it exports nearly 40 Colombian agricultural products to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean; mainly to wholesale chains.
“We have managed to position our country's fresh fruits and vegetables in the international market thanks to the joint work with entities such as ProColombia, the ICA, and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism. We have one or two clients per country, mainly wholesalers, to guarantee the supply of exportable products and generate long-term commercial alliances,” stated Dario Cano, the general manager of the company.
The company works with farmers and trade associations in Antioquia, Nariño, Valle del Cauca, Putumayo, Cundinamarca, Boyaca, Santander, and Norte de Santander, mainly. It has been a pioneer in taking national products to various parts of the world; in 2018, for example, it achieved taking the first shipment of Colombian blueberries to the United States.
The company is currently working with farmers from Huila to start exporting red dragon fruit to the Asian market and, together with ProColombia, the Ministry of Foreign Trade, and the ICA, they are seeking to take Colombian potatoes to Trinidad and Tobago and to continue consolidating its product portfolio in Asia and the Arab Countries.
Europe consolidates itself as the main destination
According to figures from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane) analyzed by ProColombia, between January and April 2021, exports of exotic fruits totaled 37.8 million dollars, i.e. 27.5% more than in the same period of last year. The most exported fruits in that period were gulupa, cape gooseberry, granadilla, pitahaya, blueberries, tree tomato, and passion fruit.
European purchases increased by an outstanding 29.7%, amounting to 32.1 million, which accounts for 84.9% of the total exports of these fruits.
Source: america-retail.com