2024-09-13 17:24:11
Planting a hectare of climbing beans costs $14 million, due to the infrastructure and wire that must be installed. However, the first harvest yields a profit of 20%, and the second harvest yields a profit of up to 40%.
In addition, the region has a variety that adapts very well to the department, which is the bush cabbage.
And according to the report presented by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), the added value of agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and fishing in the first quarter of 2024 registered an increase of 5.5% compared to the same quarter of the previous year, and was the economic activity that showed the greatest growth in the economy during January to March.
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Good production outlook
Regarding bean production in the region, Daniel Echavarría, an agricultural engineer and departmental coordinator of the National Federation of Cereal Growers (Fenalce-Huila) said: “The outlook is extremely encouraging, the department of Huila is between the first and second place in bean production at a national level. Here we grow all kinds of elite bean varieties in Colombia, such as the red cargo and red ball.”
In this sense, bean production in Colombia is mainly in the hands of low-income farmers; production systems are varied and adapted to the environmental conditions and socioeconomic limitations in each area.
Previously, the municipality of Guadalupe occupied first place in production of this legume in the region.
The largest producers
According to the departmental coordinator: “The municipality that produces the most beans in Colombia is called Santa María, and there are also La Plata, Colombia, Pitalito and San Agustín. These territorial entities have the necessary conditions to produce them.”
And regarding the cost of propagating this crop, the director said: “Planting climbing beans or climbing vines is expensive at the moment, around $14 million, since it requires investing in good infrastructure and wire. However, the first harvest yields an average profit of 20%.”
The professional added that in the second harvest, the crop yields a 40 to 50% return, because the furniture is already in place.
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Shrub class
In addition, the region has soils for developing bush beans, which do not require the infrastructure already mentioned. The Department has a quality that adapts very well to the region, which is the variety con-calima robustiva (bush bean).
In this regard, Huila and Nariño are predominantly cultivated with bush beans of red or red-and-cream speckled colors, accompanied by corn.
Production has improved
As for the production of this legume, “We have made a lot of progress in this aspect, because the National Federation of Cereal Growers (Fenalce) has arrived in the region, and by doing so, people begin to select varieties to find greater productivity. On the other hand, we have a larger population per number of hectares, we manage fertilization, pest control and at the same time we have drying infrastructures to avoid seed losses due to excess humidity when we have the La Niña phenomenon in the Department,” said the engineer.
This crop can also be grown with other crops. There is a Mexican technique called milpa, where in addition to beans, farmers plant corn and squash.
“Here in the region, bean production is technologically advanced, meaning that it is planted in high populations, because at the time of planting, it must be completely clean to avoid excess weeds and humidity, which can cause damage to the plant,” explained Daniel Echavarría.
In the coffee soca
This crop is also alternated in the coffee zone, “we recently had a large contract because the National Federation of Coffee Growers and Fenalce joined forces, last year 50,000 kilos of beans with calima were planted in the coffee zone of the department, in order to take advantage of the land while the coffee sprouts again.”
And they have a program for planting corn, which begins with 16,000 kilos to be distributed in the fields, “because they want to improve the use of the soil and make it very profitable for the coffee grower,” said the official.
And as for the recommendations made by the agronomist to farmers, they include: “we have to plant beans and corn, because they are cheap sources of protein, and secondly, we have a culture of corn consumption and thirdly, and most importantly, these crops can generate good returns for households.”
Fenalce monitors quality
In this order of ideas, and in order to monitor corn, soybeans and beans entering Colombia from abroad, Fenalce now has observers in the ports of Santa Marta, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Ipiales and soon in Buenaventura.
Inspections began in July, providing up-to-date information on the quantities and types of imported grains, the names of vessels and importers, and prices.
Through these observers, the association seeks a better physical inspection of the grain and a more rigorous review of import declarations to verify quantity, quality, use and the importer. The observers are essential to monitor the traceability in technical, logistical and commercial terms of imported grains.
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Public denunciation
This action comes after Fenalce began a process in 2023 to authorize port observers before the National Tax and Customs Directorate – DIAN, which, in turn, has its precedent in 2021, when the entity issued a public complaint related to corn imports that did not comply with established standards, a product known as “No Grade” (SG).
This complaint was linked to the lack of a traceability system that would allow the corn to be followed from the import port and ensure that it was used in accordance with its characteristics. In addition, in the same complaint, the Federation pointed out the existence of corn imports with different quality levels than those declared, with inconsistencies in the information provided to national authorities in the import declarations.
The entry into the country of low-quality or ungraded grains can have negative consequences on the health of humans and animals and, in addition, affect the price of national production. Now, with the work the entity carries out through observers, we will continue working to ensure the quality of the grains we consume.
Finally, in 2023, Colombia imported around 6.3 million tons of corn, 2.4 million tons of soybeans and their derivatives (soybeans, soybean meal and soybean oil) and 42 thousand tons of beans. Imports of both corn and soybeans (except for the derivative soybean oil) come mainly from the United States. Meanwhile, beans were imported mostly from Argentina.