Better transport infrastructure is needed to enable Colombia’s rice growers to compete when the free trade agreement with the United States goes into effect, said the head of Colombia’s Rice Growers Federation in an interview with Colombia Reports.
“The main thing that all sectors are demanding, not just the agricultural sector, is infrastructure on a national level. There is a serious problem with road infrastructure. The rainy season affects the roads of Colombia and these are very important roads. We are requesting [better] secondary and tertiary roads which now are practically destroyed by the winter rains.”
which he complained about in 2009 due to its poor condition.
Hernandez said that investment in the countryside is long overdue. “What has happened is the Colombian government has not invested in the agricultural sector for 30 or 40 years.”
Hernandez ended by saying “We have a lot of genetics in our rice, we have varieties with high-yield potential but we are not able to fulfill this potential.”
There are 500,000 families or 2.5 million people who earn their living directly or indirectly from rice in 215 municipalities across 21 departments of the country.