With support from the government and agricultural trade organisation Colviveros, potted-plant cultivation in Colombia is rapidly professionalising. Potted plants are seen as very promising, and the sector has great ambitions to achieve export growth. Potted-plant cultivation in Colombia can also become interesting for suppliers of starting materials. Nevertheless, the sector still has some hurdles to overcome.
Léontine Crisson travelled to Expo Plantas last year. What she found a few hours' drive from Colombia's capital Bogotá was a muddy site with tents on it and toilets just down the road. At first sight, things looked rather rudimentary, according to the Dutch Agricultural Counsellor for Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Once inside the tents, however, the potted plant fair looked good.
Crisson’s visit was meant to gauge whether the Expo could be part of a Dutch trade mission. "We already knew that Dutch breeders were supplying a lot of material to Colombian growers. There is a warm contact between both countries. We noted that quite a few Dutch companies were already taking part in the expo. We probed whether it would be a good idea to send a Dutch mission. Then Jairo proposed to make the Netherlands the guest of honour at the next edition of Expo Plantas," explains Crisson.