Expo Agrofuturo 2025: How Colombia is taking advantage of tariff tensions to boost agricul
In this context of demands for productivity and sustainability, the fair will be essential to promote Colombian products such as coffee, which have the potential to gain market share while competitors such as Brazil and Ecuador face higher taxes that limit their competitiveness.
Bogotá, September 2025. So far this year, the agricultural sector has been one of the driving forces of the Colombian economy. In the second quarter it showed growth of 3.8%, placing it above the economy's aggregate (2.1%). The resilience and good performance of the sector can be further benefited by US tariff tension. Expo Agrofuturo 2025 will serve as a platform to open the discussion on the opportunities that agricultural markets have to enhance their competitiveness.
A new commercial board
The United States implemented new tariffs that have changed the rules of the international trade game. This measure has created different conditions for each country, opening strategic opportunities for some exporters.
Colombia maintains a 10% tariff for imports from the US. According to Grupo Cibest's analysis, this percentage generates a window of competitive opportunity for several Colombian products in the US market.
This was explained by Ricardo Jaramillo, co-founder of Expo Agrofuturo, who pointed out that “the United States tariff policy has redefined international trade in 2025, and although the impact on Colombian agriculture has been moderate until now, products such as coffee, flowers and bananas are emerging as great beneficiaries”.
For example, Vietnam, a country with which the US had been advancing talks to deepen the trade relationship, ended with a 20% tariff. For Colombia this can be a window of opportunity in markets such as coffee, taking into account that Vietnam is one of the largest producers, with a volume of more than 1.8 million tons.
Indonesia ended up with a 19% tariff. In 2024, this Southeast Asian country was the main exporter of palm oil to the US, with sales of around US$1.6 billion. It should be noted that palm oil production in Colombia has had a positive performance in 2025, with a growth of 9.4% in the first half, reaching 1.05 million tons.
Colombian coffee can also benefit from the 50% tariffs that Brazil received. The neighboring country is the main supplier of green coffee to the US; For this reason, a 50% tax would open an opportunity and market space for Colombia.
In the banana and flower market in the US, Ecuador was at a disadvantage, with a tariff of 15%. Ecuador is the second largest supplier of bananas in the US. The volume in 2024 tripled that of Colombia in that market. A 15% tariff could have adverse effects for Ecuadorians, given that Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia maintain the 10% tariff.
Regarding the flower market, particularly roses, the rate for Ecuadorians is added to the pre-existing 6.8%, so they would be left with a tariff of 21.8% to enter the US, compared to Colombia, which maintains 10%.
“Hay que enfocarnos en lo que podemos controlar y Expo Agrofuturo va a brindar información, herramientas y muchas conexiones de valor para que el agro colombiano logre una posición de ventaja frente a los cambios económicos globales”, agregó Jaramillo.
Por su parte, Doris Chingaté, jefe de proyecto desde Corferias para Expo Agrofuturo, señaló que, pensando en esas oportunidades comerciales en el sector, “tendrá un papel clave la rueda de negocios Agromatch, tradicional de Expo Agrofuturo, que operará los tres días de la feria con el apoyo de ProColombia para atraer compradores internacionales. Este año se sumará la rueda de negocios "Antioquia, región agroalimentaria", esperando resultados contundentes en la dinamización comercial del agro”.
Para más información sobre actividades, boletería, expositores y noticias de la feria, los interesados pueden ingresar a la página oficial del evento: https://expoagrofuturo.com/, que hace parte de Econexia, la comunidad digital de conexiones y negocios de Corferias, dentro de su ecosistema de agroindustrias y alimentos.
