Colombia’s trade minister underlined the benefits to Colombia of the new free trade pact with Canada which went into effect Monday, in a conversation with Caracol Radio Tuesday.
Trade Minister Sergio Diaz-Granados said, “Canada is a country full of opportunities for Colombia… Sectors such as clothing, footwear, leather goods, the metal industry, and agriculture will have an opportunity for growth, as will food products.”
He also said that in the next few months Canada will make an important investment in Colombia, adding that Canada is one of the countries in the world with highest foreign direct investment.
RCN Radio reported the trade minister as saying, “there are cases like that of wheat where national production is insufficient for the production of cookies but now we can import without tariffs from Canada to re-export it after it has been processed to that or other markets.”
With regard to the presence of Canadian companies in Colombia’s energy and mining sector, Diaz-Granados was emphatic in saying that the Colombian government will respect labor rights in the country.
