Cetrino, an emerging company in the Colombian agricultural sector, plans to cultivate 125,000 Tahiti lime trees, thus taking part in the country's growing agricultural boom. Santiago Córdoba, manager of Cetrino, spoke to Forbes about the details of this ambitious project aimed at positioning Colombia as a significant player in the international citrus market.
Cetrino's Tahiti limes will be transported by train from La Dorada, Caldas, to Santa Marta, marking the start of their distribution to international markets. This project is being launched at a time when Tahiti lime has become Colombia's fourth most exported fruit, according to Analdex. The country is currently a key exporter of fruits such as bananas, Hass avocados, plantains and gulupa.
The Cetrino project has been implemented on two farms located in the Isaza district, in Victoria, Caldas. There are over 375 hectares used for cultivation, complemented by 151 protected hectares, totaling 525 hectares. The project's initial investment amounts to 6.5 million dollars and the goal is to capture a share of the global lime market, in which around 25 million tons are traded annually.
Santiago Córdoba, along with his partners Carlos Jaramillo and Jorge Campuzano, aims to export 13,300 tons of limes per year, equivalent to 500 containers, primarily to the United States, the European Union and the Caribbean. In addition to its economic impact, Cetrino is committed to the region's social development, generating 32 formal jobs, with a notable inclusion of women in its workforce.
With technological innovations such as analytics, the internet of things and the use of drones for crop protection and weather monitoring, Cetrino seeks to face challenges such as the El Niño phenomenon. The company, which has its administrative headquarters in Medellín, plans to ship its first 10 containers this year and reach 150 containers by 2025, thus establish a solid presence in the international Tahiti lime market.
Source: forbes.co