The Dutch government has provided the following update of the most relevant developments so far in Colombia, Peru & Ecuador related to COVID-19 and the effects on the agricultural sector.
Colombia
The Minister of Agriculture, announced the opening of the call for the ‘El Campo Emprende’ program, which has a budget of COP $ 36,000 million and hopes to shelter an average of 9,000 families. In order to improve living conditions, income and employment in the poorest rural areas of the country, through co-financing and strengthening associative productive projects. The minister stressed that, for this year, more than 50% of the beneficiaries of the project will be rural women. In addition, he stressed that the idea is also to promote generational replacement in the countryside, supporting rural youth between 18 and 28 years old to become entrepreneurs and lead business plans in the sector. The Government determined five production lines to be co-financed: transformation, handicrafts, rural tourism, green businesses, other rural goods and services aimed at promoting rural development.
The overall GDP growth report for the economy for the first quarter was 1.1%. However, the agricultural sector had a growth of 6.8%. Banana, rice, eggs and pork, were the main products that contributed to this growth, the share of coffee is falling, however all this allows adding 50 basis points to the Colombian economy.
Ecuador
AGRIFLOR international flower trade fair rescheduled to October 4th-6th 2021.
Source: www.agroberichtenbuitenland.nl