03:14 PM
After the implementation of the European Green Deal, countries like Colombia are migrating their agricultural practices and import requirements towards a productive model that is respectful of the environment and sustainable in economic and employability terms.
For example, these demands are motivating the national coffee sector to adjust its crop practices. At the moment, Of the more than 800 thousand hectares of coffee crops that exist in Colombia, only 33% use low-CO2 fertilizers.
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For this reason, Andrés Useche, director of the Andean Region at Yara, details that the departments of the country that lead the use of fertilizers with low carbon dioxide emissions in their coffee crops are: Huila (41%), Antioquia (34%), Santander (59%), Cauca (28%), Tolima (22%), Nariño (63%), Caldas (28%) and Risaralda (32%).
“The use of fertilizers with low CO2 emissions has a significant impact on reducing the carbon footprint of food produced in Colombia. It is, for example, great news for Colombian coffee, which becomes more sustainable for national and export consumption,” Useche said.
Next he highlighted the fact that More and more coffee farmers use fertilizers with a low carbon footprint, which translates into more committed crops. with the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
Fertilizers produced with a low carbon footprint are synonymous with soil healthbecause it receives the necessary nutrients and maintains optimal levels to produce year after year, the manager explained.
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In that order, coffee is a perennial crop, that is, it can last a lifetime; however, one of the real problems with coffee crops has to do with low productivity, as a consequence of low fertilization or use of inadequate fertilizers.
“In the country, The average production is 98 arrobas of average coffee per hectare, but the ideal is to produce more than 200 arrobas. To achieve this, we must use appropriate fertilizers that meet the nutrition of the soil and that are also appropriate for climate neutrality, such as those produced with a low CO2 footprint,” commented the expert.
Regarding this, the Andi Procrop Chamber has expressed its concern about the significant low fertilization or adequate nutrition of coffee crops.
This situation is demonstrated by the fact that Only between 14.7% and 15.8% of these crops in the country use recommended fertilizers. This is the main cause of low productivity compared to other producing countries.
Proculturas assured that It is urgent to implement adequate fertilization practices and advanced technology to guarantee sustainability and competitiveness of the coffee sector in Colombia, expanding its productivity compared to competitors such as Vietnam and Brazil.
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Ensuring that all coffee crops in Colombia use fertilizers that guarantee the care of the soil is the goal, since, as indicated by the Andi Pro-Cultivation Chamber, The idea is not to flood the crops with fertilizers but to nourish them adequately and effectively.
To achieve this, Yara Colombia, in its production plant, located in Cartagena, works by deploying its own greenhouse gas reduction technology that will eliminate emissions of 500 thousand tons of CO2 per year, allowing it to reduce the carbon footprint of its fertilizerswhich cover 40% of the national demand for fertilizers in the coffee sector.
“At least half of the country’s crops still need to use adequate fertilizers. Many of the efforts should be directed in that direction,” Useche pointed out.
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