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A look at the Colombian floriculture industry in 2024

The year that is coming to an end has been one of the most important for Flowers in Colombia. Its contribution to the generation of decent and formal employment in rural areas of the country (more than 200 thousand jobs), the well-being generated for its workers and communities in the more than 115 municipalities where this activity is present in Colombia, and the consolidation of its exports to more than 100 countries, are results of the success achieved.

2024 was a year of national and international recognition for Colombian flower growers, reaffirming them as one of the most important agricultural sectors globally, in terms of sustainable production and biodiversity conservation.

During the month of March, the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI), the most important international association in the search for sustainable solutions for the future of floriculture, based in the Netherlands, highlighted the Florverde Sustainable Flowers (FSF) label as one of the most complete international certifications of the industry. The announcement was made during the Floral Distribution Conference of the Florists and Wholesale Suppliers Association of the United States (WF&FSA), an activity that brought together buyers, distributors, and sellers of floriculture from different countries.

At the same stage, The Consumer Good Forum recognized Florverde Sustainable Flowers (FSF) certification as a transparent certification that ensures ethical and socially responsible practices in floriculture.

Only two months later (May 2024), Asocolflores received from the Colombian Congress the "Business Recognition for the Conservation, Restoration, and Protection of Paramo Ecosystems and Water Protection". In this way, the results obtained by its actions in the conservation of water resources, the restoration of native species, the reduction in the use of pesticides, the management and handling of waste, and the protection of birdlife on the farms, among other achievements, were exalted.

In August, the American Floral Endowment (AFE) highlighted during the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Colombian Innovation Center in Floriculture (Ceniflores), its great contribution to the promotion of research, scientific development, and education in the floriculture sector worldwide. The AFE cataloged Ceniflores as an example of the strength, leadership capacity, and vision of Colombian floriculture.

Then, on October 2, the British Colombia Chamber of Commerce (BRITCHAM), with the support of the British Embassy in Colombia and the EAN University, awarded Asocolflores first place in the "Britcham Bonds to Sustainability Awards 2024", in the category "Biodiversity Actions in Large Companies". These awards identify and recognize the most efficient and socially responsible corporate sustainability programs and models implemented in Colombia. Thanks to the project "Efficient use of water in the Colombian flower growing sector and its impact on biodiversity conservation", the flower growers were the winners.

One day later, on October 3, the president of the AFE board of directors, Ken Young, and its research coordinator, Laura Barth, traveled especially to Colombia to present the executive president of Asocolflores, Augusto Solano, with the "AFE 2024 Ambassador" award. The recognition is due to the valuable representation that, from Asocolflores and different international organizations, Solano has made, always seeking to promote the development of science, and the use of technologies for the advancement of global floriculture.

The awards received throughout 2024 were the preamble to the international representation that the Colombian flower industry had for the country during the celebration of the COP16, in the city of Cali, Colombia.

Thus, Flowers of Colombia were a part of the two events developed by the business sector to make known its results in relation to the 23 goals established at the COP15 in Canada Global Biodiversity Framework GBF.

Firstly, "Integrating biodiversity in the agroindustrial sector": panel at the Colombian Business and Productive Sector Congress, organized by the National Trade Council (Consejo Gremial Nacional (CGN) for its initials in Spanish) and National Association of Colombian Businessmen (Asociación Nacional de Empresarios de Colombia (ANDI) for its initials in Spanish). The key role of Colombian floriculture in biodiversity conservation and the implementation of sustainable practices were highlighted.

Secondly, Business Innovation for Biodiversity - Alignment to the Kunming-Montreal Framework: Asocolflores was presented as a success story in this activity organized by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

The 32 most important business and production associations in Colombia, representatives of governments of different nations, international cooperation agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the world financial sector attended these two meetings held during COP16, and recognized the work developed by Colombian flower growers, a reflection of how the flower industry can be a reference of good environmental practices compared to other productive sectors.

One of the main actions that earned Flowers of Colombia global recognition during this version of the Conference of the Parties was the presentation of its bird study 2: The Birds of the Flowers. According to the conclusions of the Asociación Bogotana de Ornitología, ABO, a partner of the project, "The study shows that the implementation of sustainable practices in floriculture has contributed significantly to the conservation of the country's avifauna, providing potential habitats for the conservation of more than 158 species of birds in rural landscapes where crops are located".

On the other hand, 2024 was also a year in which Asocolflores organized and actively participated in different national and international scientific, commercial and networking events, which allowed it to remain at the forefront of the world floriculture industry.

Positioning and networking in Colombia
At the national level, Asocolflores carried out important activities for the development of the sector, its innovation and commercialization, among which the following stand out:

"Dianthus Week Colombia 2024": presentation of new carnation (dianthus) species to producers from Colombia, Korea, the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, among others.

"Second Floriculture Congress": brought together 58 affiliated companies and 186 attendees, including industry leaders and representatives of the supply chain, to discuss the most important issues for the future of the sector.

"Siflor 2024": an event with 17 speakers from England, Israel, Brazil, and Colombia, attended by more than 600 representatives of the national and international floriculture sector to discuss soil microbiology, crop nutrition, sustainability, artificial intelligence, and business leadership, among other topics. During the closing ceremony, the "José María 'Pepe' de la Torre Innovation Awards" were presented.

"Bioinputs Meetings": Academic spaces (Cundinamarca and Antioquia) that allowed socialization on the use of bioinputs and their regulatory aspects in Colombia.

International presence and relationships
Asocolflores, through its brand Flowers of Colombia was present in several of the most important events to remind the world of the diversity of Flowers of Colombia.

Due to its great representativeness, the following actions were highlighted: Participation in the Floral Distribution Conference of the Wholesale Florists and Suppliers Association of the United States (WF&FSA): an event held in Miami, United States, which brought together the main producers and marketers of fresh cut flowers from countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, the United States, the Netherlands, Japan and Mexico, among others.

Participation in the International Floriculture Trade Fair (IFTF): an event held in Amsterdam, Holland. Asocolflores accompanied 16 affiliated companies that presented their products under the Flowers of Colombia brand.

Participation in Expo Flor Ecuador 2024: international fair held in Quitó, Ecuador, with the participation of 6 affiliated companies.

Sponsorships and activations in the United States: participation in the international events WFFSA (USA) and SAF (USA).

Tour with Colombian flower growers in Japan and Korea: showrooms, floral workshops, creativity contests for designers in the sector, and brand activations.

Social responsibility and shared values
In 2024, the "Cultivemos la Paz en Familia" (Let's Cultivate Peace in the Family) program celebrated its 25th anniversary and has already benefited more than 60 thousand people throughout its history.

This initiative was a pioneer in rural areas of Colombia in working for the empowerment of women and mothers who are heads of household. One of its fundamental characteristics is to focus on experiential education, thus complementing conceptual frameworks with everyone's own experiences.

Throughout its history, it has received support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit GTZ (German Technical Cooperation).

In summary, the results achieved by Flowers of Colombia are the result of the promotion of
Asocolflores in strengthening sustainable floriculture in Colombia to generate well-being
and inspiring experiences around the world. In addition, Flowers of Colombia will continue
to work to position itself as a reference in the global market.

For more information:
Asocolflores
www.asocolflores.org

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