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Panama City, May 8th. (Pxp). Colombia is not only an important construction materials supplier in Central America but it is also a competitive commercial partner thanks to its neighboring location and highly effective transit times. This is what some of the 74 buyers from Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala stated when they participated in the 5th Construction Materials and Finishes Business Matchmaking Forum held by PROCOLOMBIA at the Sheraton Hotel in Panama City.
" We are in search of products like kitchen sinks, among others, to use in real-estate projects because we trust the quality of Colombian products. Besides, their products are extremely sought after in my country, and there&rsquo s no doubt that with the upcoming trade agreement this trend will increase," stated Alejandro Soto from Costa Rica.
Panama&rsquo s buyers, the country with most representatives, referred to the wide range of opportunities Colombia will find in their country.
In that respect, Eric Hernandez, owner of a company that commercializes middle voltage electrical supplies for real estate and shopping mall projects, explained that " Panama&rsquo s economy depends mostly on services, unlike Colombia, a country that manufactures all types of quality products" .
In turn, Juan Carlos Correa, trader of kitchen, furniture, and hardware and carpentry products, added that: " We are experiencing a construction boom we have made lots of foreign investments and we are profiting from tourism, which is reflected in greater road, hotel, and airport construction and of course, the enlargement of the Panama Canal. All this is resulting in more business deals, mainly with neighboring countries like Colombia&rdquo .
Therefore, some of the 61 Colombian exporters invited by PROCOLOMBIA are already leveraging the commercial opportunities in the Central American market.
One of the most telling success stories was Mabel Ocampo&rsquo s from O-tek Internacional based in Medellin. Her company manufactures reinforced polyester piping, and landed agreements like setting a 6.2-mile Colombian piping drainage project in Panama&rsquo s bay.
" This market has lots of future. Colombia&rsquo s aqueduct and sewers system infrastructure is well developed, but Central America is just working on achieving what we already have&rdquo , stated the Antioquian entrepreneur.
Jonathan Barreto from the company Producciones Generales S.A. in Bogota is yet another example: " Regarding road safety, this market shows great potential considering that all government authorities in Central America are currently making significant infrastructure investments&rdquo .
This scenario has driven plastic items exports, including products like delineators, traffic signs, and road barriers.
Colombia&rsquo s participation included companies from eight departments: Cundinamarca (25 companies), Atlantico (12 companies), Antioquia (11 companies), Valle del Cauca (5 companies), Norte de Santander (3 companies), Caldas (2 companies), Santander (2 companies), and Bolivar (1 company).
