The Minister of Agriculture, Juan Guillermo Zuluaga Cardona, stated that the pineapple was having a good moment and that, according to projections, the country would produce around 950 thousand tons of pineapples in 2018. He also said that they had recently achieved opening the Argentine market to this Colombian fruit.
In May, the National Service of Health and Agri-Food Quality of Argentina (Senasa) authorized the entry of Colombian pineapples into their market. The determination was achieved after the work carried out by the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) and the Argentine entity.
The pineapple is part of the Alianza Agro Exporta, a joint work of the Ministries of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture, which seeks to position the Colombian agricultural products that have an export potential in international markets. The department of Huila is part of the alliance.
"We won a new market for pineapples. We are moving forward with the diversification of the exportable supply to increase sales abroad of non-mining energy products," said the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Maria Lorena Gutierrez.
Meanwhile the head of the agricultural portfolio, Juan Guillermo Zuluaga Cardona, said that 49% of the pineapple production was consumed in fresh, 2% was exported, and the remaining 49% was used by the national industry to produce sweets, jams, dressings, syrups, etc.
A good opportunity for this fruit is aiming at the internal market; Colombians currently consume 1.3 kilograms per person per month, while per capita consumption in the United States stands at 2.2 kg.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the sown area increased by 32% from 2014 to 2017, while yields increased by 3%, thanks to the use of certified seeds.
Last year, Colombia's pineapple exports amounted to US $11 million, i.e. almost 10% more than in 2016, when international shipments amounted to nearly US $10 million. In the first quarter of 2018 exports amounted to US $2.5 million, i.e. 4% more than in the same period of 2017.
"We export our pineapples abroad by sea to different countries, such as Chile, the Netherlands, and the US; and, by air, to France and Italy. Now we'll also make exports to the Argentine market, which has already authorized its admissibility," said Zuluaga.
Source: diariodelhuila.com