Name: Briyith Dayana Garcia Codigo: 5053211

AVOCADO
ORIGIN
The history of the Cartama group begins in the year 2000, when the hass
avocado was not popular today. In those days in the country there was no
knowledge necessary to know if there would be a good planting or not, and
social problems in the growing areas were intensified. However, Ricardo Uribe
Lalinde, the company's manager, was clear about his objective: "We knew
where we wanted to go, we were sure of Colombia's potential to become a solid
exporter of this product in the future."
he group started its business with 14 hectares in Rio Negro, Antioquia - today
they have more than 1,000. As Uribe Lalinde explains, “when we started we
could make mistakes without committing much. We needed to learn. " And they
learned. After several years of research they achieved their own technical
package, a kind of manual that contains the step by step of how to sow and
harvest quality hass avocados and with their own seal.
They have modified that manual for over 18 years. Every day, about 280 280
hass experts ’work passionately in the mountains of Antioquia, Caldas and
Risaralda in the sowing of this fruit. Yudy Cañas is one of the specialists and
considers that avocado is a green jewel that gave them hope when no other
crop did. Thanks to his work in Cartama, he was able to renew his life and
overcome the wounds caused by the armed conflict. Today, this has hass
expert ’in addition to working on crops, studies psychology.
Thanks to the discipline, Cartama expanded to 1,200 hectares. Today it has
four associations of small producers and became the leading company in the
Colombian market. Luis Eduardo Castro, director of the association of Riosucio
(Caldas), highlights the seriousness and commitment of the company, "working
with them allowed us to optimize resources and train us to improve the quality
of our products."
Now, from a modern plant in Pereira, dispatch the fruits abroad. The United
Kingdom is its main international ally. There, Cartama UK is responsible for
maturing and packing the product to deliver it in the best conditions to
supermarkets. Thanks to the joint venture signed with Mission Produce of
California, the world's largest producer and marketer, they will plant new land in
Colombia and market the fruit globally.
Although Colombia is the third world producer of avocado of all types, and is
practically the only one that has a harvest 12 months of the year, there is still a
lot to do, as Uribe Lalinde says: “We expect about 12 years to export. You have
to be calm to do things right. ”
IMPORTANCE TO EXPORT
The availability of hass avocado in Colombia is practically all year round, which
makes the South American country one of the most attractive suppliers of this
fruit to the world.

For that reason, in 2017 it consolidated itself as an important and growing

exporter, with US $ 18 million and 10 thousand tons more than in 2016, mainly
due to greater purchases from the European Union and the United States,
which opened the market that year for Colombian producers
Today it is the second most exported fruit after banana with sales of US $ 53
million, while in 2010 international sales reached US $ 108,000.

The European Union has almost 100 percent of purchases, with US $ 52.2
million, 51 percent more than in 2016, mainly from the Netherlands, the United
Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, France and Germany.
The potential is also in the arable area. According to the Ministry of Agriculture
of that country, the compound annual growth is 11 percent in the area sown in
the last five years.

According to the same source, the area planted with Creole avocados
increased by about 38 percent in the last five years, but that of hass avocado
was 126 percent due to the growing expectation around the sector, the increase
in consumption, the entry to new export markets, the promotion of new
plantings and the improvement of the productive processes in the chain.
Although the avocado crop is subject to the altitude above the level where the
crop is, early harvests are obtained in hot and late climates in cold climates.
The above favors the availability of hass avocado practically all year.

While the main competitors produce only from April to October, Colombia offers
two avocado crops per year. The main one, between the months of October to
January, and the secondary one, which depending on the department and the
location of the crop, is presented in the period from May to September.
With that potential, the IWC and the Netherlands MVO joined ProColombia, the
National Association of Foreign Trade (Analdex), and the Hass Avocado
Producers and Exporters Corporation in Colombia (Corpohass), to invite 15
interested European buyers in knowing the Colombian hass avocado and the
potential of the South American country as a world-class supplier.

The visit, which will be from September 23 to 29, will include field visits in Valle
del Cauca, Eje Cafetero and Tolima, a seminar on sustainability in the supply
chain and a business conference with local producers.

BUYERS:
• EUROPEAN UNION: Entire Europe has surrendered to millenary fruit. Imports
of this food in the European Union have increased fourfold between 2000 and
2017. Just last year, the entry of this product reached a historical mark: 486,063
tons, according to the UN Comtrade database. The expectation is that at the
end of 2018 a new record will be recorded, according to the experts consulted.

PACKAGING
conservation and packaging
Avocado is a fruit currently in high demand due to its nutritional qualities, it has
a very low cholesterol and sodium content, it is a very good source of fiber,
vitamin C, K and folic acid and most of the fat is unsaturated.
But getting the avocado to reach the consumer while maintaining its good
properties is not a simple task. At this stage, packaging plays a fundamental
role and that is why technologies have been developed to make that possible.
One of them is known as High Hydrostatic Pressure Processing (HPP)
technology. This technology emerged based on the current needs and desires
of consumers, who demand quality products, free of additives and
preservatives.

To achieve products with these characteristics, the processes of high

hydrostatic pressure of food have been developed, which have replaced the
traditional thermal processes that produce unwanted organoleptic effects.
Advantages of HPP technology in the avocado industry

Although fresh consumption of avocado remains the most demanded by the

consumer, HPP technology has allowed the industry a very important
development due to the many advantages it offers:
• Allows the processing of avocado pulp in the form of guacamole, sliced or split
in half.
• The final product obtained has a higher added value.
• It avoids and reduces the economic losses that are produced by discarding
and bad sale of fruits that do not meet the oval standard well defined for fresh
consumption.
• The greater avocado conservation allows the avocado marketing areas to be
extended.
• Avocado can be differentiated by identification of origin.
• Allows compliance with food safety requirements. Avocado is marketed free of
pathogenic bacteria (Listeria,
Salmonella, Vibrio, Norovirus, etc.), which give you access to export markets.
• The shelf life of avocado can be maintained for 60 days in a refrigerator and
up to 2 years in the freezer, which facilitates transport to areas where it could
not be reached with the fresh product.
• The longer life is transformed into lower returns, better organization and better
logistics.
• Avocado darkening is delayed and the properties of the fresh product are
maintained, which means an organoleptic advantage.
• The use of preservatives is avoided or minimized, which allows the avocado to
be classified as organic, natural and without additives.
• The technology is friendly to the environment because it needs only water and
electricity.
• The reduction of bacterial flora (lactic and coliform), gives a higher product
quality.
Enables innovative proposals that confer competitive advantages.
Colombia has lands and climate suitable for developing and extending the
cultivation of Hass avocado, producers with thrust and a government that
intends to position the country in an increasingly prominent place with respect to
this crop. If there is a growing world consumption and an unmet European
demand, the context is frankly favorable in which the only problem to be solved
is the requirements of certification of good practices by importers.
Economic agreements
Colombia has 16 current commercial agreements that open doors preferentially
to 62 countries, where Colombian products can reach 1,500 million consumers.
A potential that is considered unattended
ACCESS TO THE LARGEST MARKET IN THE WORLD: UNITED STATES
(280 Million inhabitants with high purchasing power)
-100% of industrial products with free access, free of tariffs and fees.
-Free access for agricultural products, with the exception of products with high
sugar content.
-Consolidation of the benefits of the Caribbean Basin Initiative (ICC) and the
General System of Preferences (GSP). All products that have preferences
today maintain them.
- Benefits of Free Zones and continuity of drawback, as long as the World Trade
Organization allows. PROTECTION FOR OUR PRODUCTIVE SECTOR
-Long term of relief of up to 20 years for the agricultural sector and 10 years for
the industrial sector. All sensitive agricultural products with at least 15 years of
relief period.

Multiple products with non-linear relief. Products that are taxed in 15 years or
more but whose reduction is slow or zero at the beginning, but that accelerates
at the end of the period. -Asymmetry in terms of relief in favor of Central
American countries. El Salvador has immediate access to the United States
with 0% tariff. Products from the United States exported to Central America will
have to pay taxes for periods of up to 10 or 15 years. - Tariff safeguard
(general) that allows productive sectors to protect themselves during the
transition period from import increases that could affect the national productive
sector. This Safeguard allows reinstatement of current tariffs, temporarily (up to
4 years), to protect the sector. A “de minimis” clause is included that requires
that in order to apply the safeguard, the import volume of the exporting country
exceeds 3% of the total import of said product. Therefore, this safeguard can
rarely be applied by the United States.

Savaguarda Agrícola Especial (SAE). Automatically activated if the import price

levels are lower than those established in the negotiation or if the import volume
exceeds the agreed amount. This commercially protects the most sensitive
agricultural sectors. -Savaguarda Agrícola Especial (SAE) for extremely
sensitive products reestablishes tariff of Most Favored Nation
- MFN - for the initial relief periods and high levels of MFN for the rest of the
relief period.
-Elimination of export subsidies by the United States in reciprocal trade.