The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Colombia and the United States has benefited Colombian production sectors in just two month, said the South American country’s trade minister Monday.
After a long stalled trade agreement between Colombia and the U.S., the FTA was put into effect on May 15, 2012 and the sectors in production of construction materials, clothing, and dairy have already seen a substantial growth in exports, said Minister Sergio Diaz-Granados.
“With the recognition that these enterprises take time to adjust exports to a market like that of the United States, in the two months that the agreement has been in effect the Colombian manufacturers have grown 70% in their exports to the US,” Diaz-Granados said.
According to the minister, the dairy sector alone has exported 128 tons of cheese and dairy drinks to the U.S. in just the last two months, which is more than was exported in the entire year of 2011.
The government will also continue working to expand the commercial exchange with countries of the “Pacific basin,” Chile, Peru, Mexico and others, in order to extend the process of a more profound integration.