Colombia is a country that has historically been characterized by having an agricultural vocation, in all regions of the national territory different products are grown that have made us a pantry for the world, this thanks to the work of our farmers, our location and availability of natural resources; But there are other aspects that end up truncating the agricultural productivity and the work of our peasants, such as the high price of: agricultural inputs, public services and transportation, as they have very deteriorated tertiary roads.
Agricultural inputs are products used by our farmers to control pests and fertilize crops; for veterinary services and animal feeding, that is, they are key products to guarantee the productive chain in the agricultural sector; It is estimated that of 100% of production costs until a year ago the inputs represented between 25% or 30%, today with the increases they are weighing 45% on average and in dairy farming they weigh 70% of the costs production, which is making this activity unviable, we also add that Invima does not control the import of dairy derivatives as it should be and that the public service companies classify peasant farms as a commercial and industrial activity, applying the highest rates to them; According to DANE figures, 59% of herbicides and 52% of fertilizers presented price increases compared to those reported in July 2021, increases per package of fertilizer were up to 100%, going from 70,000 pesos to 140,000 pesos .
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Most of the agricultural inputs used in the country are imported by a few companies, almost monopolies that by raising prices increase the entire distribution chain until it reaches the hands of the agricultural producer without thinking about the repercussions this has on him, but that is not the only factor that today has these products with an unpayable price because also the increase in dollar prices, in oil prices and the shipping crisis that today has freight rates up to 4 times more expensive than what they were two years ago.
It is necessary that the Ministries of Commerce and Agriculture take actions aimed at the standardization and regulation of prices in agricultural inputs, the possibility that a greater quantity of these products are produced in the country should be analyzed, promoting the capacity of reuse of waste that through composting processes can be used in agricultural activity, maximize the circular economy, we must use all the resources that are at hand to overcome this crisis, seeking to prevent this from affecting productivity and competitiveness of the agricultural sector in the future and a possible shortage due to the unfeasibility that the agricultural activity can become, the task must be to strengthen this sector by guaranteeing a higher income index to the peasants, and not letting the costs of inputs, transport and public services bankrupt them.
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