Taken from: manager.com
There are 1.5 millions of Colombians who depend on these three activities and who are concerned about the results of the negotiation.
The Sociedad de Agricultores de Colombia, SAC, reiterates the need to exclude the milk, meat and sugar sectors from commercial negotiations with New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Singapore, for the entry of these countries as Associated States to the Pacific Alliance.
The SAC had expressed its position through a letter sent to the Ministries of Agriculture and Commerce, on June 1, 2018, where it asked to keep the aforementioned products out of the reduction commitments.
The main reason is that these sectors are sensitive due to the high production and low domestic demand in countries such as New Zealand and Australia, a situation that makes them more competitive compared to the Colombian market. When comparing national milk production against economies such as New Zealand, it is observed that it produces 3.34 times more than Colombia and has an export potential of 90% of its production.
In the case of sugar, Australia is not only the third world exporter of this product, but it also exports around 4 times more than Colombia, being a strong international competitor which can seriously affect national interests in production.
In relation to the production of beef, it is observed that Australia produces an average 3.08 times more than the country while New Zealand, exports on average 40 times more to the world than Colombia, according to the OECD.
For this reason, the SAC once again requests the National Government to support and protect these productive sectors and exclude them from the current negotiation, knowing that these countries have conditions based on large productive scales that provide them with great competitiveness in international markets, not comparable with the conditions of Colombian production.
Finally, it is considered that it would be hasty to culminate this negotiation during this round or in the framework of the XIII Summit of Presidents of the Pacific Alliance, which will be held from July 21 to 24, due to the limited progress on issues such as market access , environment and origin, and a few weeks after the current government ends its administration.
