Organized by Agrilink and Corferias , the exposition served as a platform for showcasing technological advancements in agribusiness, including drones, software applications, and other digital tools. Sustainability was a reported theme throughout the event. “Once again, we connect all the actors of the agri-food ecosystem with their audiences, consolidating ourselves as the epicenter of the evolution of agriculture,” said Doris Chingaté, project manager for Expo Agrofuturo at Corferias.

The AgroMatch business roundtable held 459 meetings connecting 160 exhibitors with 33 buyers. Photo credit: Corferias.

Ricardo Jaramillo, CEO of Agrilink, stated, “We have been connecting field producers with technology for almost 20 years. Implementing tools such as technification, data management, and the use of drones allows industry players to improve productivity, optimize times, and increase profitability.”

A significant component of the event was the business roundtable, named AgroMatch, which facilitated 459 meetings between 160 exhibitors and 33 buyers. Participants came from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, the United States, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. These meetings resulted in projected business expectations of $5,976,710 USD.

The dollar value of committed deals is as follows:

• 1 to 3 months: $685,245
• 3 to 6 months: $1,763,598
• 6 to 12 months: $1,856,324

Products negotiated included fresh produce such as Hass avocados, citrus fruits, and various tropical fruits, as well as meat, dairy, coffee, and cocoa.

The academic portion of the event, the Agricultural Innovation Forum (FIXA), featured over 15 speakers and more than 100 activities. Discussions focused on topics like sustainability in livestock, soil management, new markets, and technology.

The next edition of Expo Agrofuturo is scheduled to be held in Bogotá at the Corferias fairgrounds. The event takes advantage of Econexia, Corferias’s digital business and networking platform.

Photo credit: Corferias.

The positive performance of supply was reflected in 18 of the 23 cities where the monitoring is carried out, with growth in Tibasosa (79.5%), Tunja (42.1%), Manizales (30.8%), Valledupar (25.3%), and Montería (21.5%). The highest percentage growth was observed mainly in fish, dairy and eggs, tubers, roots and bananas, processed foods, and grains and cereals.

The analysis of the data also shows a sustained recovery in supply throughout the year. In the period between January and June 2025, the total volume entered wholesale centers increased by 3.4% compared to the same period in 2024. This evolution is explained by the dynamism observed in key groups such as grains and cereals, processed foods, dairy products and eggs and fish, with no falls in any food group.

Supply monitoring is a vital input to make strategic decisions in the territories. Thanks to this data, we can guide policies, anticipate warnings, and strengthen urban and rural food security. The sustained increase in the supply of food is good news for the country, especially in highly sensitive contexts such as the current one,” said Dora Inés Rey, director of the Rural Agricultural Planning Unit (UPRA).

In specific foods, significant increases were highlighted in products such as tangerine, pineapple, blackberry, cucumber, beans, and potatoes. On the other hand, some products, such as mangoes, lemons, papayas, and pumpkins showed occasional decreases, reflecting seasonal behaviors or adjustments in production dynamics.

From the UPRA, it is projected that in July and August a positive supply will continue with products such as sapote, tangerine, pear, kiwi, banana, arracacha, cassava, broccoli, chili pepper, coriander and eggplant, among others, strengthening access to varied foods of national origin in the country’s markets.

Fish at the market. Photo credit: photo-graphe from Pixabay.

This supply growth is driven by significant increases in several food groups, including fresh fruits, which grew by 12.4%, and meats, which grew by 18.6%. Other key sectors, such as grains and cereals, dairy and eggs, processed foods, vegetables, and tubers, also saw substantial increases, reflecting a broad-based recovery in the agri-food sector.

Dora Inés Rey, director of the UPRA, commented: “The increase in food supply is excellent news for the country. It shows that the agricultural sector continues to be a key driver of employment and economic development, despite challenges and fluctuations, and continues to guarantee the availability of basic products for Colombian families. This growth in wholesale centers is a clear reflection of the work of our producers and the effectiveness of the policies implemented to strengthen the sector.”

At the national level, Tibasosa, Manizales, and Valledupar cities stood out with increases in food supply of more than 20%. In contrast, some cities, such as Ipiales, Florencia, and Villavicencio, saw drops in their supply; although, in general, the outlook is positive and favors access to a wide variety of products throughout the country.

The most outstanding products in terms of increased supply were fresh fruits, with products such as mandarins, avocados, pineapples, and passion fruit reporting outstanding increases. In the case of tubers and roots, ginger and yams stood out the most; while, in vegetables, the increase in the supply of products such as carrots, paprika, and junca onions was significant.

This positive performance in supply underscores the resilience of the Colombian agricultural sector and the constant effort by producers and distributors to ensure the flow of products in the country. In addition, the coming months of April and May 2025 are expected to bring with them a new wave of products, highlighting fruits such as pears, mangoes, kiwis, and pineapples, and tubers such as cassava, potatoes, and bananas.

Photo credit: JohnyVid from Pixabay.

The inauguration of the plant was attended by Alpina President Ernesto Fajardo, Colombia’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cecilia López, representatives of the national and local government, unions, companies and representatives of associations of small farmers.

The new plant, costing approximately $350,000 USD, will enable storage in periods of abundance and make it possible to meet consumer needs in times of scarcity. This allows the company to continue working on the productivity of farmers and collaborate with them to seek new business models. Alpina collects milk from more than 3,000 farmers every day in the Colombian departments of Cundinamarca, Antioquia, Nariño, Cauca and Boyacá.

Photo courtesy Alpina

The new tax bill places export duties on coal by up to 10% and petroleum by up to 15% depending on commodity prices and raise taxes on Colombians earning more than $2,000 per month (10 million pesos, precisely). The law also removes the tax deductibility of petroleum royalties paid to the government by both coal miners and petroleum producers.

With petroleum and coal being Colombia’s most economically important exports, the shock drove the peso, already down 25% the past year, to a historically low $5,070 COP to the USD. Finance Minister José Ocampo complained that the markets were “overreacting,” while defending the package saying: “This is the most progressive reform in history! There are obviously some sectors which will pay more taxes, but all have high earnings.”

Dividends will be taxed at 15% and the wealth tax will be 0.5% on assets exceeding 3 billion pesos, 1% on assets over 5 billion pesos, and 1.5% on assets over 10 billion pesos.

A new 5% tax is imposed on digital streaming services such as Netflix and HBO Max with at least 300,000 subscribers in Colombia. This is not restricted to video, but also applies to audio streaming and web portals.

The Senate bill must go through a reconciliation process with the house bill before the president signs the final version.

The Petro administration sought to impose a 20% tax on churches, but that measure did not pass congress in the heavily Catholic country. Colombia already has a Value Added Tax (VAT, or IVA in Spanish) Taxes were also rejected on bread, sandwiches, crackers, honey, milk and yogurt, but will be placed on the following foods:

• Other dairy products besides milk and yogurt
• Sausages, meat, offal, insect-based food (ants are a famous snack with some Colombians)
• Prepared or preserved meats
• Confectionery items
• Chocolate, basic and prepared
• Baking and pastry mixes
• Cereal
• Pastries and bakery products
• Jams, marmalades, and jellies
• Ice cream

Above photo: Colombia’s taxation chief Luís Carlos Reyes (left) & Finance Minister José Ocampo in congressional chambers (photo: Twitter account of President Gustavo Petro)

Alpina says that the investment opens the doors to the US west coast; the region alone has an economy ten times the entire Colombian economy. Both companies have confirmed that Clover Somona’s management team will remain intact.

Ernesto Fajardo, Alpina’s president.

“At Alpina we are always exploring new opportunities to continue growing and to create opportunities for internationalization. We seek to generate capacity and carry our knowledge to other places. In Clover Sonoma, we found an ally with whom we share values, principles and ethics; a committed team with whom we have identified the vision of the importance of innovation, differentiation, and value creation for the consumer. In both companies, we work to satisfy the necessities and tastes of our consumers, honoring the value promises that we have identified,” said Ernesto Fajardo, Alpina’s president.

“As we look to innovate and grow our brand in new markets, the Clover Sonoma leadership team and I have been looking at opportunities that will support that growth,” said Clover Sonoma Chairman of the Board Marcus Benedetti. “Like-minded companies have to work together to innovate for our consumers and to support our farmers and communities. As a company, we are strengthened by this partnership to facilitate growth, and the opportunities it provides for our employees, family farms, retail customers, and consumers.”

After WWII in 1945, Alpina was founded in Bogotá, Colombia by two Swiss immigrants Max Bazinger and Walter Goggel who started a dairy in Colombia to share Swiss traditions and to create new traditions and products that met the needs of Colombian families. Alpina has grown to have a presence in more than 20 countries in Latin America.

Alpina’s portfolio has more than 600 SKUs including aged cheeses, milks, yogurts, functional dairy beverages, vegetable-based beverages, baby food, nutraceutical and food supplements, among others. The company is the largest dairy producing company in Colombia and one of the most beloved brands with more than $700 million in sales.

Clover Sonoma’s milk production and manufacturing will remain in the U.S. with the support of Clover Sonoma family farms. Headquartered in Petaluma, California, Clover Sonoma is a Certified B corporation and humane-certified. Each year, the company gives back at least five percent of its profits to support animal welfare, sustainable practices, and local community initiatives.

Baker McKenzie advised Alpina on the deal. The law firm’s negotiating team was led by partners Carolina Pardo (Bogota, Colombia) and Darcy Down (Los Angeles) and supported by associates Justin Bryant (Palo Alto), Jonathan Farrokhnia (Dallas), Sean Turner (San Francisco) and Pantea Faed. (San Francisco). Kai Kramer (Houston) and Ross Staine (Houston) who provided tax and structuring advice.

“We are delighted to have acted as advisors to Alpina in a partnership with a company that shares its vision for the future of dairy, sustainability and product innovation,” said Darcy Down, partner in Baker McKenzie’s Los Angeles office.

According to Colombia’s National Department of Statistics (DANE), agriculture was the only growth sector in the country during 2020, with a 2,8% year to year growth. Despite the pandemic- induced economic paralysis, the industry was able to adapt, reorienting its efforts to the domestic market, which during this period has absorbed most of the products initially oriented for exports. The industry increased the production of items such as bananas, corn, eggs and potatoes, in addition to coffee.

The exposition takes place after Colombia experienced record levels of meat exports as well.  By the end of 2020, meat exports reached $231 million USD, which represents an increase of almost double the total value of meat exports in 2019. In this period, 29,196 tons of meat and 234,111 head of cattle were exported to countries such as Egypt, Russia, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, among others.

“The agricultural sector is on the rise and this is definitely the perfect setting to get to see examples of that, including cattle, horses, sheep, goats, buffalo; and exhibits of equipment and machinery, including milking equipment, diagnostic kits, refrigeration equipment, fences, facilities, animal nutrition protocols, veterinary services; and the use of other areas such as biotechnology, among other major trends in the agricultural sector. For this version we will have more than 350 exhibitors, representatives from different areas of the country,” said Doris Chingate, AGROEXPO Corferias Project Manager.

Agricultural goods, food and beverages led exports with $5.23 billion, up 16.6%. and manufactured goods increased 26.2% to $4.66 billion. Dates, figs and pineapple exports grew by 81.2%. polychlorides by 72.1%, polypropylene by 63%, construction supplies by 39.6%, flowers by 21.1%, coffee up by 13.8%, and insecticides up 13.1%.

84.5% of Colombian exports go to countries with which it has a free trade agreement.

“The result confirms that exports of non-mining energy goods are definitely walking in the positive field, even in pandemic times, but additionally they grow almost 10% compared to 2019, since 2020 was an atypical year. We are thus advancing on the path of safe economic reactivation. We set out the purpose of increasing these exports, diversifying and increasing the fabric of our exports,” said Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, María Ximena Lombana Villalba.

84.5% of what Colombia exports to the world in non-mining, non fuel products goes to countries with which the country has a current free trade agreement. Today there are 17 bilateral and multilateral trade agreements with approximately 65 countries. Growth in exports to these destinations were up 22.7%.

Highlights of the 19.6% growth in exports to Colombia’s largest trading partner, the US include polypropylene at $17.9 million USD, finished textiles at $8.6 million, pharmaceuticals at $6.5 million, and dairy concentrate at US $6.3 million, among others.

Sales also increased to Brazil, Colombia’s third largest trading partner, by 51.3%. Additionally, the Dominican Republic saw growth of 47.7%, Canada at 31.3%, Chile at 28.5%, Ecuador at 28.3%. Even neighboring Venezuela with its failed economy making up 1.5% of Colombia’s exports saw a growth in the products it imports from Colombia during the period by 52.4%.

Photo courtesy of MinCIT

The goal of the initiative is to begin reversing the negative effects that logging and agricultural clear-cutting have had in more than 60 million hectares of the world’s largest jungle. Ongoing deforestation is a “major driver” of pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss, said the World Economic Forum in a statement, and the group’s efforts will push to halt those factors while promoting sustainable development.

“We are pleased to have a critical mass of companies and organizations joining these efforts.” – Luis Gilberto Murillo, Colombian environmental minister

By 2020, the partnership is hoping to achieve “zero net deforestation” in the Colombian Amazon, and, by 2030, “to have stopped all natural forest loss,” according to the World Economic Forum.

Colombia has joined 14 other governments that have signed on as official Tropical Alliance 2020 partners, including Brazil, the United States, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

More recently, through a new domestic platform of public and private stakeholders, the country has launched the TFA 2020 Colombia Alliance. The first task in Colombia will be to tackle deforestation caused by the palm oil industry, which has come under fire in recent years in Colombia for harming the environment. In time, the efforts will extend to confront damage done by the timber, beef, and dairy sectors.

The alliance’s work will largely follow principles laid out in its “Commodities and Forests Agenda 2020,” which is supported by the partner governments and environmental groups such as World Wide Fund for Nature, Fondo Acción, and the Nature Conservancy. Several private companies operating in the country have also supported the efforts, including leading Colombian retailer Grupo Éxito, consumer goods giant Unilever, dairy firm Alqueria, and agricultural companies Poligrow and Yara International.

According to the World Economic Forum, Éxito was the first Colombian company to join the alliance in 2014. It has since worked to promote reforestation and sustainable agricultural development efforts within the Andean nation.

READ MORE: Exploration Projects in Colombia Face Uncertainty as Another Town Bans Mining

“We are pleased to have a critical mass of companies and organizations joining these efforts,” said Luis Gilberto Murillo, Colombia’s minister of environment and sustainable development (MinAmbiente).

He highlighted recent governmental initiatives, including the “Palm Oil Zero Deforestation Agreement” and “National Forest and Carbon Monitoring System,” that have aligned with the goals of a Tropical Forest Alliance 2020. Such work “represents a key effort in bringing down international commitments to the Colombian context,” said the minister.

With around 1,900 different species of birds (the most of any country in the world), more than 50,000 species of plants, and many other forms of life, Colombia is the second most biodiverse nation after Brazil. In all, the medium-sized country is home to around 10% of the known species of plant and animal life on Earth.

Environmentalism has become increasingly common in the country over the past decade and advocates continue to clash with the private sector. A series of popular referendums have placed a prohibition on mining in various municipalities and more and more advocates are waging campaigns to protect cloud forest, páramo, and coastal ecosystems across Colombia.

Photo: The Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 is looking to stop deforestation in parts of the Amazon, such as this swath of jungle in the department of Vaupés near Mitú. (Credit: Jared Wade)