Colombia: Papers in crisis
According to one farmer in the sector, they are currently selling at a loss and are not getting any return on their investment. This, in addition to the fact that they are receiving no response from the competent authorities.
The path forward
To counter this situation, the potato sector is seeking a transformation. In this regard, Colmenares emphasized the need to "deliver washed, selected, and packaged potatoes" to today’s consumer, which is different from the consumer who received potatoes with dirt decades ago. This, he explained, involves more processes.
Beyond this, it’s crucial to add "value to the process of making purees. You have to extract starch, you have to extract starch to be able to, hopefully, export." He indicated that it’s paradoxical that Colombia imported "9,000 tons of potato starch last year" and between "70,000 and 90,000 tons of precooked potatoes per month."
Products that could be produced domestically. To achieve this, "unity across all sectors is needed: investment, equipment, technology, and market research."
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