Risaralda is part of the departments that managed to grow amid the fall in national exports.
According to the export information processed by DANE and DIAN, in December 2023 the country’s external sales were US$4,445.4 million FOB and presented a decrease of 4.2% compared to December 2022; This result was mainly due to the 5.9% drop in external sales of the Fuels and Extractive Industries Products group.
The National Association of Foreign Trade -Analdex- has expressed concern about the decrease of almost 13% that exports at the national level presented during the year 2023. However, there were seven departments out of 32 which presented positive behavior in the face of the critical outlook. that energy miners go through in the world.
Which were?
Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Atlántico, Risaralda, Cauca, Chocó and Sucre, excluding oil and its derivatives, according to Dane figures. This, contrary to the general outlook for external sales in 2023, which totaled US$49,542 million and a deceleration of 12.9%.
“The regions are the heart of the country’s exports, so we must work on a shock plan, between the public and private sectors, in order for more departments to increase their external sales and contribute to diversification. of the country’s export basket, even in the midst of a challenging panorama at the international level,” said Javier Díaz Molina, president of Analdex.
Antioquia, the most exporting department in the country, grew 6.3% compared to 2022 and reached US$7,664 million. Specifically, in December, there was an increase of 7.1%, going from US$665 million in that month of 2022 to US$712.6 million last year. For its part, Valle del Cauca increased its sales abroad by 6.3%, with US$2,414 million, having one of the most diversified baskets in the country. While, in the Caribbean, Atlántico was the department that showed the best figures with US$2,190 million and an increase of 3.2% compared to 2022.
Risaralda
However, in the Coffee Axis the case of Risaralda stands out with a jump of 31.5% with US$568.7 million in 2023. “This is a success story, so, despite depending for several years on the coffee exports, new sectors are appearing such as avocado, transformers and buses, which have positively impacted Risaralda’s foreign sales,” said the president of Analdex.
Opportunities in 2024
The impact of coffee takes on a significant role when considering its weight within the Colombian export basket. As the sector has repeatedly pointed out, Colombia has broad possibilities in agricultural and agro-industrial exports, not limited only to traditional products such as coffee, bananas or flowers, but also covering fruits, vegetables, aromatic herbs and meat.
“Exporting must become a national purpose, Colombia must diversify its export basket. This must be a crucial objective in terms of trade in 2024 to stop what happened the previous year and prevent the situation from becoming a trend. It should not be forgotten that exports are essential to boost the economy and generate resources that contribute to State programs,” Díaz concluded.
In December 2023, 16.3 million barrels of crude oil were exported, which represented a drop of 0.5% compared to December 2022.