Colombia's agri-food exports grew by 3% year-on-year between January and July 2020, as the world battled an outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Exports for the period amounted to $4.5 billion (€3.8 billion), the latest data from Dane and analysis by ProColombia has revealed.
The United States emerged as the largest importer, purchasing Columbian agricultural products worth $1.7 billion (€1.4 billion) (+1.2% year-on-year), followed by the Netherlands, with imports valued at $256 million (€216.2 million).
Colombia's exports to the European Union amounted to $1.1 billion (€930 million), up 1.1% compared with the same period last year.
Top buyers within the European Union were the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The products that were purchased the most in the EU include green coffee, bananas, palm oil and fresh fruit.
The demand for cane sugar, processed fruit and vegetables, and processed seafood also increased in this period, data showed.
Amid the pandemic, ProColombia organised talks with European retail experts, who said that there was an increase in demand for fruits with vitamin C among European consumers, because of their immunity-boosting properties.
A shortage of European stocks four weeks earlier than normal, coupled with a 30% increase in the price of citrus fruits such as limes, lemons and tangerines in this period, backs this claim.
The phenomenon presents an opportunity to explore and develop the market for exotic Colombian fruits, such as cape gooseberry (uchuva) and gulupa in Europe.
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