PRESS ROOM
8/5/2024
Food supply remains on the rise in 2024
In April 2024, there was a 1% increase in food supply at the country's main wholesale markets compared to the same period in 2023. While the supply of grains and cereals, as well as processed products and dairy, experienced significant increases, there were decreases in the supply of fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, and tubers.
Bogotá D.C., (@Minagricultura, @UPRAColombia, @claudialili76). The outlook for food supply at the country's main wholesale markets during April 2024 reveals a 1% increase compared to the same period last year. This increase, although moderate, reflects a changing dynamic in the availability of different food categories, according to the latest Food Supply and Food Security Bulletin provided by the Rural Agricultural Planning Unit (UPRA).
"Analyzing specifically the trends by food category, significant variations are observed in the supply of fruits, tubers, and vegetables. For example, while some fruits like apples, passion fruits, and oranges experienced increases in their availability, others like mangoes, avocados, and pineapples saw decreases. Likewise, in the case of tubers, roots, and plantains, there is an increase in the supply of products like plantains, ulluco, and arracacha, while yams and ginger show a notable decrease in their supply", explained Claudia Cortés, director of UPRA.
In this context, increases in the availability of grains and cereals (35.4%), processed products (20.8%), and dairy and eggs (7%) stand out, indicating a positive response in these areas of the food sector. However, the decrease in the supply of fish (-10.8%), meat (-5.1%), vegetables and greens (-3.9%), fruits (-3.1%), and tubers, roots, and plantains (-1.2%) is concerning.
On the other hand, the analysis by city yields heterogeneous results, with notable increases in cities like Tibasosa, Sincelejo, and Medellín contrasting with significant decreases in places like Pasto, Florencia, and Villavicencio.
"In terms of year-to-date performance, there is a generalized increase in food supply at the country's main wholesale markets during the first four months of 2024, with increases in the availability of grains and cereals, processed products, fish, dairy and eggs, fruits, tubers, roots, and plantains, and vegetables and greens", added Cortés.
These trends in food supply are of utmost importance as they directly impact the supply and demand of food products at the national level, influencing prices and food security for the population.
For more information and details on the behavior of agricultural input prices, we invite you to consult the full report on the UPRA official website.
