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The 85th Virtual Macro Business Matchmaking Forum, one of Latin America’s most important business event of the year, opened its doors to 750 buyers seeking new, quality products at competitive prices with tariff advantages. The event will take place from April 12 to 23, but the deadline for registration is February 26.
“It will be a great opportunity for economic reactivation for the participating companies. Buyers will discover what a country like Colombia has to offer, standing out as a reliable supplier with a wide variety of products in sectors such as agri-food, chemicals, manufacturing, fashion, and industry 4.0. This year, a category for biosafety and protective goods and services will also be opened, bringing together all the sectors mentioned above,” said Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia, the event organizer and promoter of the South American country, Colombia.
The president of ProColombia added that this business activity is part of Colombia’s economic reactivation plan for exports, which has prioritized e-commerce and public procurement channels as well as knowledge-based services, along with biosafety and protective goods and services.
Santoro also added that, after the virtual appointments, some face-to-face appointments have been scheduled so that international buyers can come to Colombia to visit some Colombian companies’ factories and facilities.
Colombia has positioned itself as a business hub in the region due to its location between two oceans and its preferential access to more than 1.5 billion consumers in 60 markets, with 17 trade agreements in place. “Likewise, the country has appropriate delivery times for international demand: less than 3 days by ship from the main ports in the Americas, and 12 days from Europe. It also has more than 4,500 maritime export routes and access to 680 ports around the world,” added Santoro, who highlighted Colombia’s regional leadership role in the continent’s economic reactivation, especially this year with the pro tempore Pacific Alliance and CAN presidencies.
The 85th Virtual Macro Business Matchmaking Forum will include Industry 4.0 companies that provide software development and IT services, animation, video games, BPO, advertising and digital marketing, and health services; participants in agri-foods will offer flowers, aquaculture and fisheries, coffee derivatives, fruit, beef, and pork; in manufacturing, furniture and wood, auto parts, and construction materials will be presented; for the chemical sector, there will be cosmetics, plastics and rubber, pharmaceuticals, containers and packaging, chemicals, and hospital supplies; and for the fashion industry, textiles and materials, clothing, leather goods, footwear, and jewelry and costume jewelry will be available.
Colombia’s non-mining goods and services have positioned themselves in different foreign markets because of their origin: origin that prevails with the country’s fashion, transcending borders with its designs based on ancestral techniques, which result in unique garments and accessories; origin that creates knowledge-based services such as software for different sectors of the economy; origin with delightful agricultural food products grown on Colombian soil; origin that transforms value-added manufacturing that captures international buyers; and origin that provides wellbeing with everything related to chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and others.
These five export sectors have gained international recognition among their main buyers, thanks to features such as design, quality, creativity, flexibility in production volumes, sustainability, and innovation.
For agri-food exports, it is worth noting that Colombia is predicted to be one of the world’s food pantries, according to the FAO. About half of the land that could be used for agricultural production is located in 7 tropical countries: Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, Congo, and Sudan. In Colombia, there is constant production throughout the year, as there are no seasons. Additionally, Colombia boasts water resources, climatic diversity, and a great variety of temperature zones. Natural wealth is combined with the expert hands of our farmers and entrepreneurs.
With regard to services, Colombia stands out internationally for its technical capacity in development, its creative potential and high innovation standards, as well as its privileged geographic location. This has positioned the country as the third largest BPO market in the region; the fourth largest IT market in Latin America along with Brazil, Mexico, and Chile; and the fourth largest market in the region for video games.
Meanwhile, in the fashion industry, Colombia has competitive factors such as its sustainability and circular economy practices, its diversified offer of high quality and innovative products, and its flexible production which adjusts to customer needs. In addition to this is social work with artisans and communities, which is linked to Colombian designers’ collections and designs by using ancestral techniques that make one-of-a-kind, Colombian products.
In the chemicals and life sciences sector, Colombia has key advantages when facing international competition, such as quality, competitiveness, and the know-how provided by multinational involvement in the sector, among other factors. For example, Colombia is the number one supplier of all types of agrochemicals in Ecuador, herbicides in Jamaica, and fungicides in Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Jamaica, El Salvador, and Guatemala. We are the second largest exporter of cosmetics and personal care products in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Finally, in the manufacturing sector, Colombia stands out in different subsectors such as construction materials, interior design, auto parts, and others, due to its quality, innovation, state-of-the-art technology, design, sustainability, and safety.
