Colombian Poultry Federation and the government of the Netherlands signed agreement for cooperation in the poultry sector in Colombia
The Colombian Federation of Poultry Farmers of Colombia - FENAVI and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bogota signed a Memorandum of Understanding, through a virtual event.
The Executive President of FENAVI, Mr. Gonzalo Moreno Gómez, and the Ambassador of the Netherlands in Colombia, Mr. Jeroen Roodenburg, formalised this agreement that allows the coordination of cooperation actions aimed at contributing and strengthening the competitiveness of the Colombian poultry sector.
Among other aspects, the joint implementation of programs, projects, strategies and agreements related to economic development, competitiveness, business development, employment, the circular economy and the sustainable development of the sector is foreseen.
The Netherlands is the second largest exporter of agri-food products worldwide. For decades, Dutch agriculture has stood out at the international level for its continuous innovation and permanent development of its production chains. The Netherlands has innovative poultry technology and is among the world leaders; innovations in this sector have been developed thanks to greater attention to animal welfare and better technical results, while paying special attention to the environment.
In terms of production volumes’ growth, the poultry industry is one of the few sectors of the Colombian economy that has shown surprising results, during the recent years. In 2008, poultry production reached just over 1.5 million tons of chicken and eggs, last year it closed with more than 2.5 million tons, spread over 1.6 million tons of chicken and more than 14 billion eggs . Social responsibility and sustainability are currently consolidated as an important factor in the sector management and competitiveness.
For the government of the Netherlands, the transition from a linear agriculture to a more circular agriculture is an important objective, which has many common areas with the National Strategy for Circular Economy of the Colombian government. As a result of the conversations between FENAVI and the Embassy, areas were identified to collaborate in the transition of the Colombian poultry sector towards a more circular agriculture, such as (protein) alternatives for feeding birds and the valorisation of birds manure, among others.
FENAVI's Executive Chairman, Mr. Gonzalo Moreno, affirmed that “through this cooperation agreement, we will join our knowledge, experience and innovation, turning it into a space for mutual growth under a framework of sustainability. We are confident that working together with a global leader in poultry production, especially egg production, as the Netherlands is the world's leading exporter of this product; and the second largest exporter of agricultural products in the world after the United States; will benefit the economic, social and environmental development of the national poultry industry".
From his side, the Dutch Ambassador, Mr. Jeroen Roodenburg, stated that “rural development and agriculture are priorities in our relationship with Colombia, issues that are key to achieving peace in the territories. The country has enormous potential in the poultry sector, although it also has challenges. In this sense, the Dutch experience in innovation and applied technologies can contribute a lot to a more circular development of the sector in Colombia”.
With the agreement signed yesterday, which will remain in force for five years, continuity and additional strength is given to the link between FENAVI and the Netherlands, the country that was the Guest of Honour at the XIX edition of the National Poultry Congress in 2018, carried out in the city of Bucaramanga, Colombia.
Interested in more information? Please contact us via e-mail: BOG-LNV@minbuza.nl
You can also see a video with the words of the Dutch Ambassador in Bogota about this MoU in the link below (Spanish audio):