COLOMBIA TIERRA DE FLORES

1. 1
JOSE GUILLERMO TORRES PARDO
Agronomy Engineer
Floriculture in COLOMBIA

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REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA
Country of Flowers

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COLOMBIA IN THE WORLD

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ASTRONOMICAL SITUATION OF
COLOMBIA

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ASTRONOMICAL SITUATION OF
COLOMBIA
 12° 30’ 40” N at Punta Gallinas in
the La Guajira department
 4° 13’ 30” S at the mouth of the San
Antonio creek at the end of the
Amazon rainforest.
 66° 50’ 54” E at the eastern end of
the San José island in the Black
River opposite the Cocuy Rock
 79º 01’ 23” W in the Mangrove
Cape on the western edge
 Colombia is found in the torrid
zone, as a result, it has a tropical
climate.
 It is in the Western hemisphere

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SCOPE AND BOUNDARIESOF COLOMBIA
 Land area: 1,141,748 km2
.
 It is the 4th largest country in South
America and 7th largest in all of the
Americas.
 Borders: Venezuela and Brazil to the
east, Ecuador and Perú to the south
and Panama to the northwest.
 To the north it borders countries of
the Caribbean: Nicaragua, Costa
Rica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti,
Honduras and Jamaica.
 To the west it borders countries along
the Pacific Ocean: Ecuador,
Panama and Costa Rica.

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POPULATION OF COLOMBIA
 Population: 43.6 million (July
2006 census)
 Strategically situated between
North and South America
 The only country in South
America on two oceans
 Easily accessible to North
America, Europe, Latin America,
Africa and the asian markets
 Tropical country, variety of
climates and the second most
biodiverse place in the
Americas

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FLORICULTURE IN COLOMBIA
Colombian flowers have a
prominent place in the
international consumer market due
to their high quality, color, beauty,
size and variety. In fact, with these
qualities and in only 35 years of
existence, the industry has become
the second largest exporter in the
world accounting for 10% of total
trade behind The Netherlands
which accounts for a 59% share.

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FLORICULTURE IN COLOMBIA
More than 50 different types of
flowers are grown in Colombia
among which the following are
highlighted:
Carnations
Chrysanthemum Cushions
(Pompons)
Roses
Miniature carnations
Chrysanthemums
Anthuriums
Orchids
Other exotic varieties

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COLOMBIA – QUALITY THAT SPEAKS
FOR ITSELF
 The second largest exporter of flowers in the world.
 The largest exporter of carnations.
 The largest exporter of flowers to the US.
 In 2006, the country exported 244,194 tons of flowers to the world.
 Furthermore, Colombia has the highest growth rate in flower exports in
the world (2006 vs. 2004 = 37%).
 According to information from the US Department of Agriculture, in
2008, Colombia exported more than 507 million roses to the US (54% of
the rose market in the US).

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PRODUCTION AREA IN
COLOMBIA

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PRODUCTION AREA IN
COLOMBIA
Given the climate and soil
conditions the Departaments with
the highest production of flowers
and foliage in Colombia are:
Cundinamarca
Antioquia
Risaralda
Quindío
Caldas
Valle del Cauca.

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PRODUCTION ZONES IN COLOMBIA
REGION
(Flowers)
% of Area ALTITUDE Meters (Feet) AVG. TEMP.
°C (°F)
Savannah of Bogotá
(Carnations, Roses, Alstroemerias,
others)
76 2600 (8000) 13 (55)
Eastern Antioquía
(Chrysanthemum Cushions
(Pompons)-Chrysanthemums,
Hydrangeas, others)
19 2000 (6100) 17 (62)
Other areas
(Anthuriums, Orchids, Heliconias,
Foliage, others)
5 1600 (4900) 21 (70)

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FLOWERS EXPORTED

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COLOMBIA’s PLACE
IN THE GLOBAL FLOWER MARKET
Holland
Colombia
Kenya
Ecuador
China
Israel

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COLOMBIA’s PRIMARY MARKETS

17. COLOMBIA’s PRIMARY MARKETS
The Cultivation of
Tropical Flowers:
An alternative for
economic, social and
viable environmental
production
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18. COLOMBIA’s PRIMARY MARKETS
THE BOUQUET
Bouquet made in an
artistic form with
orchids, exotic
flowers and foliage
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19. FLOWER EXPORTS
• The new business trend is to register in the foreign market.
• The biggest consumers of bouquets are in the US and the EU.
• Close to 70% of the bouquets pre-made and sold in the US
come from Colombian farms.
• The primary competitors for Colombia in tropical flower
production are Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador and Jamaica.
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20. ROLE OF FLOWERS IN THE COLOMBIAN
ECONOMY
20
SOME PERFORMANCE INDICATORS IN THE FLOWER INDUSTRY
HECTARES
JOBS
US EXPORTS
(MM)
KILOS
EXPORTED
Global Market:
$USD 4 Billion
Growth%
HECTARES
JOBS
US EXPORTS
(MM)
KILOS
EXPORTED
Sources: Asocolflores, DANE and DIAN

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 Floriculture is the primary non-traditional agricultural export from
Colombia
 Colombia is the top global exporter of carnations: 182,174 jobs (98,641
direct/ 83,533 indirect)
 1,000,000 Colombians depend on floriculture
 In 2006, exports reached USD$967 million
 7,290 hectares of production
 60% of the labor force is made up of women
 95% of the production is exported
 Flowers represent 75% of the air cargo exported from Colombia
IMPORTANCE OF THE
FLORICULTURE SECTOR IN THE ECONOMY

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FLOWER INDUSTRY’S COMPANIES BY SIZE
SIZE Law 905 of 2004 Nº of Companies
LARGE 37
MEDIUM 140
SMALL 67
MICRO 3
TOTAL 247

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PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS IN
COLOMBIA
PRODUCTION
Perennial Crops: Roses, Carnations, Gerbera, among others.
Short-cycle crops: Chrysanthemum, Asteres, Sunflower, Callistephus,
among others.
Propagation: By seed or cuttings.
Outdoor and/or greenhouse crops.
Soil or hydroponic crops.
Flower and foliage crops.

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PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS IN
COLOMBIA
PRODUCTION
Propagation – Mother plant: growing where plants are planted in order
to produce cuttings.
Propagation – Root bank process: process in which the cuttings are
taken to produce roots which gives rise to the growth and development
of the final plant.
Production: Rooted cuttings are taken when they are ready to be
planted so that they can undergo various sub-processes like soil
preparation, planting, irrigation, fertilization, among other essential ones
to produce flowers.
Post-Harvest: Includes the selection of flowers, packing, health and
conservation treatment for exporting in specialized cold rooms.

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PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS IN
COLOMBIA
PRODUCTION
Greenhouses: Wood, chapel, spaces, metallic, environmental
control
Covers: Polyethylene
Irrigation Systems: Manual watering with a hose, Drip (automated).
Soil preparation: Manual, Mechanized.
Diversification of varietals/products.
Production systems: Soil, hydroponic.
Planting: Bare root or confinement

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COMMERCIALIZATION
MAIN HOLIDAYS IN THE US MARKET.
Thanksgiving: November
Christmas: December
Valentine’s Day: February
Easter: March/April
Mother’s Day: May
Others: Secretary’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Halloween

29. COMMERCIALIZATION
Other key dates for Colombian exporters
•Women’s Day (March 8): In Russia they demand roses of every color, of
the largest sizes, with long stems and large heads.
•Mother’s Day (May 12): Important in the US, UK and Russia, all colors
with the most popular being roses and carnations.
•June and July: Two key months because it’s the peak wedding season
in the northern hemisphere. There is demand for every type of flower.
•The 4th of July in the US: Flowers painted red, white and blue - the
colors of the US flag - are exported. They are exported in bouquets.
•September: Season for starting school in Russia. It’s important because
students take flowers to their teachers.
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TRADE
Exporters
(Producers)
Retailers
(Florists)
Supermarkets
Importers Wholesalers

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THANK YOU