Agriculture

Selected as one of five strategic growth areas in the National Development Plan, the agricultural sector has traditionally been one of the primary growth engines in Colombia. However, recent supply and demand fluctuations have created challenging times for the sector and government funding has become central for ensuring its short-term viability. This is likely to improve as completion of renovation campaigns comes in sight, crops undergo further diversification, and competitiveness programmes are vigorously pursued to enable the sector’s performance in open markets. The sector is gradually changing its focus from traditional segments such as coffee and cocoa to products with higher demand in export markets. With 14.5m ha of unused land, the sector’s growth potential is tremendous. This chapter includes an interview with Juan Camilo Restrepo, Former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.