UPRA is advancing interoperability projects with sectoral entities to export national products

Bogotá D.C., (@Minagricultura, @UPRAColombia, @claudialili76). The Unit of Agricultural Rural Planning (UPRA) continues to lead efforts in implementing the sectoral Interoperability Plan to strengthen national production and open doors to the international market, under the National Unified System of Agricultural Rural Information (SNUIRA).

 

Currently, within the framework of SNUIRA, UPRA is working on identifying over 80 sectoral projects and maturing State entities. This second iteration aims to reach associations, with the goal of strengthening interoperability processes among affiliated, linked, and mixed-participation entities, reducing existing gaps, and coordinating efforts with the National Digital Agency (AND) and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MINTIC).
 

 

Luz Mery Gómez, head of UPRA's ICT office, highlighted the strategic importance of interoperability for the sector, "interoperability, if seen as a strategic element of each organization, will allow affiliated and linked entities of the sector to have strategic data for the formulation of comprehensive public policy, benefiting rural communities. With this strategy, updated and timely information will be available."
 

 

The entity held the event "Interoperability: Pillar of Information Management, Basis of Agricultural Sector Policy", which featured an interoperability panel focused on traceability, highlighting the importance of traceability of agricultural products to meet European Union requirements and enable access of national agricultural products to the international market. The event saw the participation of key entities in traceability processes such as the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA), the National Federation of Cocoa Growers (FEDECACAO), and the Colombian Horticultural Association (ASOHOFRUCOL).
 

 

Engineer Amal Hosni Viteri, from ASOHOFRUCOL, emphasized the importance of technological transformation and interoperability in the sector: "we have been working on a technological transformation process since last year. Our comprehensive pillar is interoperability, both internally and externally. We are aiming for the transformation from physical to digital services to have mapping of our producers in the field. The importance of these processes lies in knowing the conditions of the farms or the producers around them, knowing if there are better practices or techniques they can apply." 

 

Interoperability has become a key tool for the modernization and competitiveness of the Colombian agricultural sector. By facilitating the exchange of information between entities and associations, more efficient and timely management is achieved, allowing producers to access new markets and meet international standards.
 

 

"FEDECACAO is gathering all land information through interoperable platforms with other free public systems so that by gathering information through these platforms, they can operate with public information for the cocoa chain. The main benefit is that the cocoa farm, the cocoa family, is enabled to export cocoa without it costing them basically anything",​​ explained Oscar Darío Ramírez, Technical Manager of this association.
 

 

Collaboration and interoperability among entities in the agricultural sector, associations, and governmental entities are essential to boost national production and ensure its access to the international market. The commitment of UPRA and sectoral actors in this process is key to the sustainable and competitive development of Colombia's agricultural sector.