Newsletter 29 – Invest Pacific seeks canadian investment for the region

In 2018, Invest Pacific supported the arrival of 20 investment projects in the region, generating US$180 million and more than three thousand jobs. Of these investments, 25% corresponds to the Agroindustry and Logistics sector, with an amount of US$71,000,000 (103% higher than the investment reached by the sector in 2017).

Operations in avocado Hass, floriculture, poultry, as well as distribution centers, are part of the economic activities that most came to the region in this sector last year.

In order to attract more foreign investment opportunities to the region, for the Agroindustry and Renewable Energy sector, Invest Pacific, the Colombian Pacific Investment Promotion Agency, participated, between April 1 and 6, in an international mission to Canada.

This Invest Pacific mission included participation in the FDI International Economic Development Training Seminar, an event organized by Conway, a distinguished consulting firm specialized in supporting international expansion projects, which recently visited Cali and in 2018 highlighted Invest Pacific as one of the best investment promotion agencies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This Seminar, held in Toronto, brought together different investment promotion entities and agencies from Canada and other parts of the world. Invest In Bogotá and ProColombia also participated from Colombia. It focused on presenting the most recent and effective strategies for attracting foreign direct investment promotion.

During this mission to Canada, Invest Pacific, with the support of ProColombia, also developed an agenda with entrepreneurs in the renewable energy sector, with cannabis and processed food companies, in order to present the region as an ideal destination for the development of their future investment and expansion projects.

In these one-on-one encounters with foreign entrepreneurs, Invest Pacific shared the value proposition of Valle del Cauca, which includes the productivity of its lands, connectivity and strategic location, the department’s robust business network, qualified human talent, as well as the quality of life and institutional support network that the investor finds in the region for its establishment.

In the Agroindustry, Logistics and Renewable Energies sector, Valle del Cauca is the main snack producing region in the country. According to DANE figures, in 2017, the processed food sub-sector invoiced almost 6 billion dollars in sales. In addition, according to data recorded in the Ministry of Agriculture, the region contributes 41% of Colombia’s agricultural production, with only 1.9% of the national territory.

In 2018, Invest Pacific supported the arrival of 20 investment projects in the region, generating US$180 million and more than three thousand jobs. Of these investments, 25% corresponds to the Agroindustry and Logistics sector, with an amount of US$71,000,000 (103% higher than the investment reached by the sector in 2017).

Operations in avocado Hass, floriculture, poultry, as well as distribution centers, are part of the economic activities that most came to the region in this sector last year.

An example of these projects is Florius Flowers, a Dutch company that arrived in the region in 2018. It is dedicated to the production of summer flowers and currently has 2,150 hectares in Roldanillo in the north of the Valley. They chose the region to settle due to its competitive advantages in logistics and infrastructure.

Julián Pérez, General Manager of Florius Flowers, states that “Valle del Cauca has unique and fertile lands, close infrastructure and connectivity with the center of the country, the main cities, the airports and the Port of Buenaventura which is the place we are interested in, because we want to be the first company to export flowers from there”.

Among some of the companies that found in Valle del Cauca, the ideal conditions for their installation are found: Camposol, Florius Flowers, GreenFruit Avocados, Viveros Genesis, Cargill, AB InBev, The Abraaj Group, Instanta, Tate & Lile, LG Electronics and APM Terminals, PSA International. They come from countries such as the United States, Peru, Poland, Belgium, among others.