"Colombia: "Strawberry production grows 20% a year"

Strawberry cultivation in Colombia has grown rapidly over the past 15 years. While there were 700 cultivated hectares in 2004 throughout the country, in 2016 it is expected to exceed 2,500. Investment in this crop has been great during this period due to its high profitability and the attractive returns it can represent for producers. In turn, it has to be emphasized that the Ministry of Agriculture is increasingly involved in these crops, investing in technical assistance to farmers, as well as the supply of fertilizers and plastic shields.

"Right now, strawberry production is within the normal range and remains constant, something that is very positive for our domestic supply, which has increased significantly in recent years. Although the economy has grown, our strawberry prices continue to generate a diminishing return per kilo for producers, but that has made the fruit accessible to almost the entire population, "said Carolina Vargas, from Kabala.

As a result of the low prices, demand has increased, which has benefited producers, who continue to see this crop as profitable for domestic consumption. With this great capacity the next step is exports. Vargas said that many producers have thought, "Well, export is complicated because of the lack of support and knowledge regarding international requirements". So the next thing the authorities will have to work on is to support these types of Colombian initiatives.

Kabala is a strawberry plant trading company and has the only certified and authorized nurseries to produce the plant nationally. Its main objective is to disseminate information and support farmers with new technologies, in order to boost agricultural development and narrow Colombia's technology gap compared to agricultural practices implemented by other countries. For this reason they have built a demonstration field where they have the latest technologies for this crop. Here they will train farmers so they can begin to export.

For more information:
Carolina Vargas
Kabala
T: +57 310 2538394
E: tecnicocomercial@kabala.com.co
www.kabala.com.co