In order to compete in the global market, the dynamic Colombian avocado sector has had to make a significant change: reduce the chemical trace in its fruit production. This means that many have had to abandon the traditional chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides that have been part of fruit production for decades and replace them with new ones of biological origin. Juliana Sarmiento describes this issue as one of the main driving forces in the use of bio-inputs in Colombia, a subject she knows much about as general manager of the firm Biocultivos and, for the past year, as co-executive director of the Colombian Association of Bio-inputs for the Transformation of Agriculture, better known as Asobiocol.
Sarmiento recognizes that the transition from traditional to biological inputs is a difficult task to carry out in the Colombian countryside. "The agricultural sector has generally been accustomed to the use of chemical inputs and this is a transition that can sometimes be difficult," she says. However, she points out that there are two important factors that have given recent impetus to the use of bio-inputs. One is the growing export market for healthy food products, such as fruit. These sectors, she says, "have been forced to have much cleaner production processes and, therefore, have turned to the use of biologicals." A second factor is the high efficiency in disease control and crop nutrition in a more sustainable way.
Nevertheless, these aren’t the only factors. According to the co-director of Asobiocol, biological inputs have recently played a fundamental role during the pandemic because, in this period, chemical inputs have become scarcer and have higher costs, which has led farmers to look for other alternatives to manage their crops. "Unfortunately, the change did not occur because people saw the benefits that these technologies bring to agriculture, but because there was a need to use other types of inputs due to scarcity, but the sector has been growing none the less" she says.
It’s a trend that can be illustrated with data. While five years ago there were around 200 companies registered as producers and/or marketers of bio-inputs in Colombia, in 2019 the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) reported 319 firms. The are no recent figures because the institute is in the process of updating the regulations regarding bio-inputs and the companies that can be defined within this sector.
“Colombia has very solid biological companies, they are very serious in the market and that is why we made the decision to associate ourselves with Asobiocol. We are currently 11 companies that produce and market biological inputs in the country and also export to other parts of the world. What we are looking for is to have many more associates to continue working for the sustainability of the Colombian agricultural sector,” she says.
According to Sarmiento, the best-selling bio-input is the bio-controller, also known as bio-protection. "These are products based on microorganisms, macro-organisms and plant extracts that help control diseases or pest attacks," she says. “It is the largest part and represents about 40% of the market. Then come the biological inoculants, which are used to nourish the plant and meet the needs of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Finally, there are the semi-biological inputs, which are the products that have a chemical component and a biological component”.
Bio-inputs are products based on fungi, bacteria, plant extracts and beneficial insects where the active ingredient is 100% natural, and therefore, they do not generate pollution to the environment or to our health.
“Bio-inputs have significant benefits on crops because after having used intensive agriculture with chemical inputs we have deteriorated the soils and this type of technology seeks to reverse that situation. They seek to bring life back to the soil to produce agriculture in a more sustainable way” she says.
"After having used intensive agriculture with chemical inputs we have deteriorated the soils; this type of technology seeks to reverse that situation. They seek to bring life back to the soil to produce agriculture in a more sustainable way"
This is a new field that is being considered by new regulations and standards. It is in this context that Asobiocol was created in 2016, because of a need to have a guild representing the producers and marketers of biological inputs in the country.
“The leading companies joined forces so as to have a critical mass that would represent us before the regulatory entities that make the regulation policies for this type of technology, in order to work on the promotion and transfer of knowledge of the biological technologies towards agriculture” says Sarmiento.
