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Since the Free Trade Agreement began with the United States, 635 Colombian companies have made their first exports to this market, including 131 new exports.
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PROCOLOMBIA president María Claudia Lacouture says that since the FTA began with the United States, 635 Colombian companies made their first exports to the U.S. |
These were the words of PROCOLOMBIA president María Claudia Lacouture based on PROCOLOMBIA' s analysis of non-mining/energy exports in the period since the FTA began (May to December 2012) against sales registered between January 2010 and April 2012.
According to Lacouture, new exports from Colombia to the United States included cherimoya, ceramic bricks, fish liver oil, passion fruit, plastic syringes, crude glycerol, knee pads, domestic sewing machines and machines to wrap merchandise.
" Americans are looking for Colombian products because of their quality, and the closeness between the two countries. Also the FTA tax benefits offer profitability that can' t be found in other countries. Colombia is a convenient supplier for them," stated the president of PROCOLOMBIA, a group that has been promoting Colombian exports to the U.S.
PROCOLOMBIA carried out 45 events in the United States in 2012, with 3,083 exporters and two macro-conferences in American territory (New York and Los Angeles). In total, the two conferences generated business expectations over US$ 185 million.
Furthermore, 7,778 people from 24 Colombian departments attended Proexport-led information seminars to share business opportunities in the United States, logistical information and entry requirements.
Additionally, Lacouture' s group brought 354 American entrepreneurs to national events like Colombiamoda, IFLS, Exporartesanías and Expocamacol.
The Sectors That Benefit the Most
According to PROCOLOMBIA analysis, the agroindustry products with greatest net growth since the FTA are sugar and honey (58.7%), candies (36%) and processed seafood (31%).
In manufacturing, total exports grew 8.2% between May and December 2012. Car parts and metallurgy products showed the largest increases of 196.7% and 148.2%, respectively.
In terms of clothing, the FTA has allowed the sector to recover lost ground. Despite only a 1.6% export growth between May and December 2012, the products that received the greatest boost from this increase were textiles and leather manufacturing with US$ 14.3 million and US$ 35.2 million respectively.
Generally speaking, the figures confirm Colombia' s potential, given that non-mining energy exports grew 20.1% between May and December, totaling US$ 3.817 billion i.e. US$ 637.7 million more than in the same period of 2011, according to information from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism and based on statistics from DANE.
The regions of origin with the highest number of companies exporting to the United States for the first time were Bogota (52), Antioquia (26), Santader (7) and Valle del Cauca (7). New products were led by Bogota (65), Antioquia (35), Valle del Cauca (9) and Atlantico (9).
" We have found important niches that allow businesses to continue growing in this market, for example, dehydrated fruits, bathing suits and jewelery," said Lacouture.
Dehydrated fruits, now duty-free, are a take-away product that is consumed outside the home, at work or during outdoor activities, and therefore this influences packaging sizes. Consumers look for products without sugar, flavoring or artificial coloring.
Another sector with opportunities is the aquaculture and fishery industry. Their products did not have tariff preferences before the FTA went into force. For example, processed seafood exports grew 31%, reaching US$ 20.8 million between May and December 2012. Fish fillet sales also grew 9.1% in this period, totaling US$ 17.4 million.
Colombian handicrafts also have potential as they are now duty-free. Americans want decorative or practical items such as bags with hand straps, clothing made from traditional textiles and wooden products for their homes.
