Together with representatives of Scelta Mushrooms, UnieKaas and other companies, representatives of NCH, RVO, the Holland House Colombia, RaboBank and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, LBP Rotterdam BV took part in the trade mission to Medellin in Colombia. Participation in the fair AGROFUTURO was one of the goals, but as far as LBP was concerned the matchmaking programme made by Holland House was the main reason for the trip.
Anton Filippo represented the logistic service supplier in Colombia. "It was once again an interesting trip to this country. Colombia has a fantastic economy, has made huge progress in terms of safety and has opportunities in the area of fruit and vegetables, especially to Europe." During the three day fair, as well as an extra day in Bogota, he spoke to various companies who work in the export of fresh fruit. "The opportunities are huge, the demand from Europe for avocados and limes is growing and so the Colombians need to use those opportunities."
But it doesn't seem to be this far yet. Although most exporters and export co-operations see those opportunities, there are some challenges that stand in the way of the developments.
"Regular stories are that the government is awkward, that it takes a long time to get GlobalGAP certification and that the infrastructure isn't set up to facilitate the growth," continues Anton. "This is why some exporters believe that Colombia will need another five or so years to be able to meet the demand. Until then they think that the growth will be small."
Whether the European market can find the patience to wait so long for the growth is the question. "For instance, Mexico is lying in wait," says Anton. He believes there are more factors. "Colombians are subdued and sometimes even shy. This is why making decisions is often a sinecure. This could stand in the way of growth at the same rate as the demand."
LBP has been doing business with the South American countries for years, mainly for customers with originally Colombian products such as physalis and passion fruit. "The Colombians that we have as customers at the moment are all professional companies, it has to be said. A lot is going really well in Colombia, the country is beautiful and most Colombians are lovely people. But there are still profits to be made, steps to be taken. But this means that there are still more than enough opportunities for us in this country and so we are happy that we were once again able to meet all kinds of exporters and potential exporters to see where we can strengthen each other over the next while."
