Ecuador announces export of 30,000 tons of rice to Colombia

Ecuador has announced a significant trade agreement to export 30,000 metric tons of rice to Colombia, with the first shipments scheduled to arrive in Colombia starting this Saturday. This development is seen as a crucial step in reviving Ecuadorian rice exports to its neighboring country after a period of strained trade relations.

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This operation constitutes a positive signal for the recovery of Ecuadorian rice exports to the Colombian market and reflects the coordinated work between the National Government, the export sector, and commercial actors of both countries.

The Ministry of Production, Trade, Exterior, and Investments highlighted that the reopening of operations through the Rumichaca bridge, the main border crossing, signals a positive recovery for Ecuadorian exports. The ministry, along with Pro Ecuador's trade office in Colombia, is committed to further negotiations with Colombian authorities and importers to secure more commercial opportunities and restore export levels to those seen in previous years.

Ecuador and Colombia engaged in a trade dispute from February to June. The conflict began when Ecuador imposed a 30% tariff on Colombian goods, escalating to 100%, in an effort to pressure Colombia to increase border surveillance due to concerns over criminal violence. Colombia responded by imposing its own tariffs and closing its land border to several Ecuadorian products, including rice and bananas.

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Colombia maintained the restriction on the passage of rice by land for 45 more days, a period that, according to his calculations, expired last Monday.

The tariffs were eventually lifted in early June, partly due to the intervention of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN). However, Colombian authorities maintained restrictions on land-based rice imports for an additional 45 days, a period that recently concluded. Juan Pablo Zuñiga, president of the Ecuadorian Rice Industrial Corporation (Corpcom), noted that approximately 90-95% of rice exports to Colombia are transported by land, resulting in nearly zero exports between February and June.

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Between 90% and 95% of the rice exported to Colombia is by land, so between the end of February and June, exports of that product were practically nil.