|
COLOMBIA faces both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is located between 4° S and 12° N latitude and 68° and 78° W longitude. Colombia spans four AEZs: AEZ 1, warm arid and semiarid tropics; AEZ 2, warm subhumid tropics; AEZ 3, warm humid tropics; and AEZ 4, cool tropics. The climate in the coastal lands is tropical with high rainfall; the Pacific coast represents one of the most humid regions in the world. The highlands, where major cities are located, have a rather temperate climate. The population in 1999 was 41.6 million, 72% of whom live in urban areas. Employment follows the same trend as population distribution, with 70% of the labor force being urban. The major sources of employment are agriculture (30%) and manufacturing (13%). Agriculture contributed 19%to GDP in 1999. General information - GNI per capita PPP$, 2000: 6,060
- Internal renewable water resources: 1,070 km3
- Main food consumed: sugar and honey, rice, maize, oil and fat, meat
- Rice consumption, 1999: 29.3 kg milled rice per person per year
Production constraints
There are several constraints to sustainable rice production in Colombia: - High production costs and shrinking local market because of a reduction in national consumption
- Blast, rice hoja blanca virus, crinkling or entorchamiento virus, Rhynchosporium, Helminthosporium
- Weed and red rice competition
- Infertile and aluminum-toxic soil in upland rice areas of eastern plains
- Yield potential of irrigated rice varieties has reached a plateau
Production season | | | | Planting | Harvesting | Summer season | Mar-Apr | Jul-Aug | Winter season | Aug-Oct | Jan-Mar | Basic statistics, Colombia |
| 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | Rice | Area harvested (ha) | 370,600 | 521,100 | 406,761 | 402,781 | 431,189 | 440,000 | Yield (t/ha) | 4.7 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.8 | Production (t) | 1,741,600 | 2,116,600 | 1,742,547 | 1,897,740 | 2,059,374 | 2,100,000 | Rice imports (t) | 70 | 90 | 122,548 | 292,744 | 37,011 | na | Paddy imports (t) | 0 | 0 | 1,513 | 308,735 | 0 | na | Rice exports (t) | na | na | na | 346 | 15 | na | Paddy exports (t) | 160 | 635 | 82 | 83 | 23 | na | Others | Population, total (x103) | 31,659 | 34,970 | 38,542 | 40,803 | 41,564 | na | Population, agriculture (x103) | 10,354 | 9,314 | 9,126 | 9,004 | 8,958 | na | Agricultural area (x103 ha) | na | na | na | na | na | na | Irrigated agricultural area (x103 ha) | 465 | 650 | 820 | 850 | na | na | Total fertilizer consumption (t) | 364,300 | 602,500 | 486,200 | 627,000 | na | na | Tractors used in agric. (no.) | 33,450 | 32,000 | 23,000 | 21,000 | na | na | Source: FAOSTAT online database. | Click here for a pdf of this information
|
