Colombia's food sector braces for free trade realities

摘要

Colombian food exporters bemoaned years of U.S. foot-dragging on ratifying a bilateral free trade agreement, but now that the FTA is moving forward, Colombia's food supply chain faces challenging competitive realities (see article, Page 3)."The ministry believes that the free trade agreement offers immediate opportunities for agricultural sectors including fruit and vegetables, but approval of the accord poses new challenges for others," Agriculture Minister Juan Camilo Restrepo told leaders of Colombia's agriculture and food processing sectors in remarks about the FTA earlier this month.