A collapse in southwestern Colombia caused the destruction of a section of the Pan-American highway on January 9, 2023, leaving the southeast of that country isolated.
Balanced food plant of Molinos Champion, in Guayaquil. File photo, from 2019.
Ecuador will export balanced foods for domestic and farm animals to Colombia, as a consequence of the collapse that destroyed a section of the Pan-American highway, on January 9, 2023.
The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) and the Ministry of Agriculture authorized the import from Ecuador, through a resolution issued on January 18, 2023.
The balanced food sector plans to start shipments within a week, says the executive director of the Balanced Food Products Association (Aprobal), Jorge Josse.
The measure seeks to mitigate the problems that have arisen in the supply of animal feed and supplies in the Nariño department, after being held incommunicado with the rest of the neighboring country.
Commercial opportunity
The emergency in Cauca and Nariño opened a commercial opportunity for Ecuador, which for the first time will export the balanced ones.
These exports will continue until free transit to Nariño and part of the department of Cauca is normalized, which could take anywhere from six months to five years.
Josse details that they plan to send between 4,000 to 5,000 tons per month of food for chickens and pigs to Pasto, the capital of Nariño.
The price per ton is still under negotiation. However, Josse says that the sales potential is USD 4 million a month.
In 2022, the balanced animal products sector produced 5.2 million tons in food for livestock and aquaculture use.
This volume represented an increase of 9.6% compared to 2021.
The director of Aprobal explains that these products are not regularly exported due to the high volume required in Ecuador.
The procedures
María del Pilar Ruiz Molina, general manager of ICA, says that the import from Ecuador will be valid with the presentation of the product registration, issued by the National Agency for Regulation, Control and Health Surveillance ( Arcsa ).
The products will be inspected by the ICA at the entry site to Colombia, for the issuance of the Sanitary Inspection Certificate.
Cargo transport collapse
The destruction of a section of the Pan-American highway in Cauca has affected the cargo transportation between the two countries.
This, due to the lack of alternative routes to the Pan-American in southern Colombia, which allow the circulation of vehicles weighing more than 20 tons.
The governments of Ecuador and Colombia agreed, on January 16, that heavy transport can circulate through a “humanitarian corridor”.
This is the route: Julio Andrade (Carchi) -Ibarra-Otavalo-Quito-Pifo-Baeza-El Coca-San Miguel (Sucumbíos) and vice versa.
The Vice Minister of Transportation Services, José Luis Aguilar, said that a alternating route will delay six months, and build the new road will take about five years.
