The three weeks of social isolation have generated a loss of USD 65 Million in income for the 35,000 families of rural producers and marketers of live and ornamental plants in Colombia, according to estimates from the Association if Colombian Nurseries and Ornamental Producers, Colviveros.
The president of Colviveros, Jairo Cadavid, indicated that based on the exceptions of mobilization of agricultural products expressed in Decree 531, the Trade Association estimates that only 10% of producers and marketers of live and ornamental plants are generating some type of home sales through the different digital platforms. "End consumers are learning to make digital purchases and for this reason we are working to bring them products for their usual environment such as orchids, anthuriums, bromeliads, cacti, succulents and potted roses, at a time when the day of mother, the main sales season for national nurseries", says the Association leader.
On the other hand, Cadavid mentioned that producers have found barriers when looking for liquidity with the bank to pay their payroll. "In many cases, the information on the credit lines generated by the Government has not flowed and the banks are taking care of their interests at a conjunctural moment, but beyond that, we consider that loans are not the main option for rural producers and can be considered coverage figures for each job generated or for each certified hectare. This segment requires more resources to work with some producers in projects of productive transformation towards the food chain, electronic commerce, virtual training and promotional campaigns that allow the final consumer to appreciate the benefits that live plants generate to improve their mood, purify spaces and be more productive”, he adds.
In this direction, the President of Colviveros recognized the announcement of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Rodolfo Zea Navarro, who launched the "Productive Alliances for Life" program, an initiative aimed at strengthening the productive capacities and income generation of producers of the field and for which the Government will allocate USD 150 Million.
Cadavid also joined the request from various sectors to freeze the payment of leases. "Most of the nursery is carried out under the modality of leasing land and / or commercial premises and freezing the payment of these fees for at least three months would contribute to improving the liquidity of producers to prioritize the payment of payrolls. The weight of the commercial brake must fall on everyone's shoulders and not only on restaurants, bars, hairdressers and nursery producers and marketers," he concludes.
Finally, the president of Colviveros, added that "nurseries will work so as not to lose one of the most important sources of employment in the Colombian countryside, mainly in the department of Cundinamarca where 65% of the production of live plants and of ornamentals in the country. A few weeks ago, everything was predicted in a certain stable way, but now we are experiencing a high degree of uncertainty in which we must identify opportunities and prepare measures that allow us to survive and be more competitive in the new context ”, Cadavid concluded.
For more information:
Colviveros
Jairo Cadavid Ossa, Presidente
Email: presidencia@colviveros.org
www.colviveros.org