Agriculture
From The Report: Colombia 2016
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The tides of Colombia’s agricultural sector, which for years lagged behind neighboring countries due to landownership restrictions and underdeveloped transport infrastructure, have fast been changing. As of early 2016, several key reforms and progressive measures were beginning to allow investment to flow to the Colombian countryside. The sector expanded by 3% year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2015, and accounted for 6% of GDP. In 2016 a proposed peace deal with the FARC offers hope of a safer countryside and increased government emphasis on rural development. In late 2015 the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced funding to boost domestic production of key crops and a land reform law that would open the door to large-scale agribusiness. With new roads and ports to link Colombia’s interior to domestic and export markets, 2016 looks set to be a turning point for the agriculture sector, and a year in which an integrated agricultural policy begins to take shape.

This chapter includes an interview with Rafael Mejía López, President, Colombian Agriculture Association (SAC). 

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

From the ground up: Social and economic reforms breathe life into the sector
OBG
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The tides of Colombia’s agricultural sector, which for years lagged behind neighbouring countries due to landownership restrictions and underdeveloped transport infrastructure, have fast been changing. As of early 2016, several key reforms and progressive measures were beginning to allow investment to flow to the Colombian countryside. A forthcoming peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, combined with a push to reintegrate former combatants into society offer hope of a safer…

Interview

Space to grow: OBG talks to Rafael Mejía López, President, Colombian Agriculture Association (SAC)
OBG
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Interview:Rafael Mejía López How will Colombia’s internationalisation policy affect the future agricultural trade balance? RAFAEL MEJÍA LÓPEZ:The sector grew 2.3% in 2014, exporting $7.26bn and importing $6.24bn worth of goods. In value terms, exports grew 10.3%, which is translated into 13% more in exported tonnes. Regarding imports, we also grew 2% in value and 4.5% in imported tonnes. It is important to analyse both volume and value because, despite these satisfactory results,…

Analysis

Setting the ground: Addressing the concerns of both small and large agrarians
OBG
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Like several Latin American countries, Colombia has endured a long-standing political battle over landownership, where progress has been slow. Reform in Colombia is complicated by the continuing internal conflict, the wide-scale displacement of campesinos (small-scale farmers), a lack of documentation for historical landownership and powerful landholding individuals and associations. A key demand of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC) guerrilla…