On November 9, Belgium got the support of the European Union in its commercial fight with Colombia, which plans to introduce anti-dumping measures against the kingdom's frozen French fries and those from Germany and the Netherlands.
Colombia joins South Africa and Brazil in imposing prohibitive import surcharges on frozen French fries mainly from the three main European industrial potato processors: Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
Farmers are worried about the trend of protectionism in the industry, as Colombia seeks to protect its farmers and encourage the emergence of national agro-industrial production.
Brussels should lodge a complaint for undue anti-competitive measures at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The sector processes around 60 million tons of tubers per year, and directly or indirectly employs several hundred thousand people throughout the European Union.