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Colombia AGRICULTURE
Agriculture has been an important part of the Colombian
economy
since colonial times. With the establishment of the
tobacco and
coffee industries in the nineteenth century, agriculture's
role in
economic development was assured. Since then, agriculture
has
provided food both for domestic consumption and as a
source of
export revenue.
Its historical significance notwithstanding,
agriculture began
to grow more slowly than the rest of the economy by 1960.
Although
GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.5 percent from
1960 to
1982, agricultural output increased by only 4.1 percent,
indicating, among other things, the increasing importance
of
manufacturing and service sectors.
Although agricultural production increased only
slightly after
1982, the sector continued as the foundation of the
economy,
accounting for nearly 21 percent of GDP in 1987 and nearly
68
percent of all export revenue in 1986
(see
fig. 6).
Numerous
factors--including low world commodity prices, increasing
input
costs, poor weather, inadequate investment, and greater
regional
competition for export markets--contributed to sluggish
agricultural development in the 1980s.
Colombia is known for its mountainous terrain, but the
country's diverse topography and climate allow the
cultivation of
a variety of crops. From the Caribbean lowlands where
banana
plantations are prominent, to the Andean highlands, which
favor
coffee production, Colombians have been able to produce a
variety
of agricultural products. These production efforts,
however,
required only a small fraction of the total land area
available for
farming. Of Colombia's nearly 115 million hectares, 13
percent of
the total was considered arable, and only 27 percent of
that amount
was under cultivation. About 20 percent of all cultivated
land was
dedicated to coffee.
Cattle-raising areas stretched from the Andean
highlands into
the eastern plains. These areas constituted nearly 17
percent of
Colombia's total land. Forty percent of the land on which
cattle
were raised also supported some type of short-term or
subsistence
agriculture. Forests covered 68 percent of the country; 15
percent
of this land also was considered arable.
Land tenure patterns had remained remarkably unchanged
since
the initiation of agrarian reform efforts in the 1930s. In
1961 the
government created the national land reform agency,
Incora. Despite
success in retitling land during its first ten years of
operation,
Incora had a minimal impact on land distribution. Problems
such as
inadequate provision of investment credit and agricultural
inputs
further impeded Incora's efforts.
Because of the earnest but unsuccessful efforts of
several
administrations to implement a comprehensive land reform
program,
landholding remained highly concentrated. The national
agricultural
census of 1971--the most recent as of mid-1988--indicated
that the
largest 10 percent of all farms, including ranches,
encompassed 80
percent of the farmland.
Both public and private funds contributed to
investments used
to provide agricultural infrastructure, inputs, and
technology.
After 1970 there was a distinct trend toward a gradual
reduction of
public expenditures and a compensating increase in private
investment. The private sector, considered well managed
and capable
of expanding agricultural output, was responsible for more
than 90
percent of current expenditures and assumed most of the
responsibility for research, training, credit, processing,
and
marketing activities.
Producer groups were the major force behind private
sector
coordination of agricultural policies and programs. The
larger
producer organizations provided research and statistical
support,
lobbying programs, and other services to influence
agricultural
policy. Fedecafe, the largest and most powerful
agricultural
organization, represented some 300,000 coffee producers in
the mid1980s . Fedecafe exceeded normal association boundaries by
inviting
public officials to hold seats on the board of directors,
receiving
public funds, and taking on projects normally associated
with the
public sector, such as developing infrastructure,
promoting
balanced economic growth, and setting government coffee
policies.
Other significant agricultural producer associations
included
the Federation of Rice Growers (Federación Nacional de
Arroceros--
Fedearroz), the National Federation of Oil Palm Growers
(Federación
de Cultivadores de Palma Africana--Fedepalma), the
Colombian
Association of Flower Producers (Asociación Colombiana de
Productores de Flores--Ascolflores), and the Colombian
Association
of Seed Producers (Asociación Colombiana de Productores de
Semillas--Acosemilla). These organizations individually
represented
between 55 and 100 percent of their respective
constituencies.
Data as of December 1988
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