There was an unusual increase in volumes of exports of bananas, avocados and pineapples, recorded in the container trade.
"It exceeded all expectations", states the Commerce report, unveiled by the Maersk Group.
In addition to the high volumes reported, there were also new destinations, thanks to the introduction of refrigerated containers into the Colombian market, the report states.
The Maersk Group also stated that there had been an upward trend during the last quarter of last year, as exports increased by 14.6 percent.
According to the company, prospects for the Colombian container trade in 2017 are encouraging, as long as the country maintains its efforts to diversify its economy.
In an aside, the report highlights the opening of eleven new markets for products of agricultural origin, such as banana, avocado, and pineapple, which "marks an encouraging trend and bodes well for the government's intentions to position the country as the world's pantry in the medium term."
It also highlights that the continent's trade situation could strengthen trade links between the countries of the Pacific Alliance. "Considering this, we expect Colombia's container trade will grow 3 to 4 percent in 2017."
"Exports will grow between 4 and 5 percent driven by shipments of fruit to northern markets, while imports will have a stable growth of 1 to 2 percent, punctuated by imports from the countries of the Pacific Alliance," Maersk added.
As for the local movement of containerized exports, Cartagena and Turbo have boosted growth in the Caribbean coast ports.
"Overall, Colombian port operations in 2016 were stable," the report states. The opening of new routes for shipping bananas to Europe and the US from Uraba placed the Turbo on the map as a major new port for foreign trade.
As for the traditional ports, Cartagena continues on the path of growth, with a 3 percent increase in the mobilization of containers throughout the year, consolidating its position as the second most important port for the country and the fourth one for Latin America.
Source: portafolio.co