Guaranteeing Colombia’s food security is the objective of the Norwegian multinational Yara. This was pointed out Marcelo Altieri, senior vice president for Latin America.
The company, which has plants in Cartagena and Yotoco, sent a message of tranquility to the country reaffirming its commitment and willingness to ensure the supply of fertilizers to the Colombian countryside, especially, given times of uncertainty due to the outlook for Venezuelan Colombo Monomers, a key player in the business.
Looking ahead to 2022, Yara hopes to complete the adaptation of its plant in the capital of Bolívar to achieve the reduction of 90% of its C02 emissions.
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How was the balance of the pandemic?
2020 was a challenging year for the agricultural sector. Without a doubt, one of our greatest challenges was keeping the operation running and quickly adapting to the new way of working, with the health and safety of our people as a priority.
How has the first trimester been for you?
We started 2021 well, thanks to the dynamics of crops such as coffee, oil palm, corn and avocado, during the first quarter, which boosted the sector due to exports to Europe and the United States. Then, we had a more challenging second quarter, marked by the national strike and blockades on the main roads of the country, which generated a lot of uncertainty for farmers and unions. And since then, the rise in international prices of raw materials to produce fertilizers has been added, with effects on ports and a significant increase in maritime and land freight.
Can we speak of a reactivation of agriculture in the economy?
Undoubtedly, there is a reactivation in the agro-exports of coffee, avocado, bananas, flowers, meat, palm and corn. However, products for domestic consumption such as potatoes and rice have suffered from production costs, a drop in demand and climatic phenomena.
It should be noted that agriculture, even during the pandemic, always produced positive data. In this sense, efforts must continue to focus on strengthening the competitiveness of the field in order to continue taking advantage of its full potential. This is only achieved through access to technology and new tools for better decision making.
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What is expected for the end of this year? What are your goals?
Our main goal is to maintain the availability of fertilizers and that Colombian agriculture does not suffer a shortage. Yara is investing in the production of mineral fertilizers with a lower carbon footprint. By 2022, we expect to have a plant in Cartagena that will have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 90%. This is the first step towards the decarbonisation of the food chain and a very ambitious project: the production of green fertilizers.
Marcelo Altieri, Senior Vice President for Latin America at Yara.
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Moving on to another context, how does Yara see the situation of Monómeros?
We recognize the role of this competitor in the sector and we respect the decisions of the National Government. We also want to highlight that Yara’s commitment to the country and the farmers remains firm. In this sense, we put at your disposal all our knowledge, products and services. Colombia is counting on us, both to maintain the necessary supply of fertilizers, and to guarantee the food security of its population.
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Is it an opportunity to expand your presence in the market?
It is an opportunity to evolve the country’s agriculture towards a more efficient and environmentally responsible crop nutrition. Now we can bring agronomic knowledge to more producers, to adopt better fertilization practices and new digital tools.
Colombia is already one of the most important markets for Yara in Latin America. So much so that today we have in Cartagena the only NPK and Calcium Nitrate fertilizer production plant in the entire region (excluding Brazil), with a total annual capacity of 450,000 tons. And, if we add the premium product mixing terminals in Cartagena and Yotoco (Valle del Cauca), we reach a capacity of more than 1,200,000 tons each year.
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How does this impact Colombia’s food security?
The impact would be minimal. The Colombian market can still remain in perfect competition, with the number of players that already exist and the favorable conditions that all have to import fertilizers at 0% duty. Accessing supplies in the international market is a very simple process.
Now, as long as we know how to articulate ourselves to meet the demand that the country requires in its agricultural production, there would be no risk to food security.
We reiterate our willingness to support the nation in what is needed and build a positive food future.
BRIEFCASE
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