Colombia: Refrigerated Containers Drive Foreign Trade
Maersk Line just published its Colombia trade report for the third quarter of 2016.
Total reefer share of Colombia's exports increased to 21% in Q3 2016 - up from 12% in 2015 - with pineapple and banana the strongest performing products.
“As well as boosting foreign trade in containers, the transformation in technology and the innovation it represents, is generating a diversification in Colombian exports in terms of target markets. Despite that Colombian exports fell 12% to Asia and 9% to Latin America, the rise in sales to Europe is compensating the drop in this markets’ demand and is settling Colombia´s trade balance”, says Juan Camilo Vásquez, Colombia Sales Manager for Maersk Line.
In Q3 2016 reefer cargo increased to a 21% share of Colombia’s total foreign trade in containers, up from 12% in 2015. Pineapple and banana were the strongest performing products behind the trend.
Reefer exports to Europe grew by 64% in the third quarter as Belgium, United Kingdom and Germany led the purchase of Colombian products such as banana and avocadoes.
Colombia’s reefer export growth offset a 12% drop in overall Chinese demand and a similar 9% fall in Latin America, settling Colombia’s trade balance to keep it on track towards a 3% growth in containerized trade (imports + exports) for 2016.
