The National Federation of Cereal, Legume and Soybean Growers (Fenalce) deems 2025 a tough year for Colombia's grain producers, with fewer plantings, falling prices and eroding food sovereignty. Manager Arnulfo Trujillo points to the maize crisis and high production costs. In Huila, beans provide profitability, but programs promote soy and crop rotations.
Arnulfo Trujillo, manager of Fenalce, told LA NACIÓN that 2025 ends on a discouraging note for Colombia's grain crops. The federation tracks plantings of nine main grains: maize, sorghum, soy, beans, barley, wheat, oats and peas, plus imports of lentils and chickpeas. National consumption hits nearly 13 million tons yearly, but local production meets just 15% of demand, undermining food sovereignty.
Maize faces the worst scenario: output dropped 19% in 2024 and the trend continued into 2025 from climate impacts and low prices due to cheap northern imports. “The overproduction to the north has led to cheaper imported maize entering and national prices falling,” Trujillo explained. Producers sell maize at 1,200 pesos per kilo but produce it at 1,100 pesos, failing to cover bank interest. Costs rise in areas like Huila and Tolima: land leases reach 1.8 to 2 million pesos per hectare, with expensive inputs, high labor and obsolete machinery causing losses in planting and post-harvest.
Fenalce urges the new government for a clear agricultural policy to restore food sovereignty, beyond mere land distribution; machinery and equipment are essential. “I do not agree with handing out titles just to hand them out… we must really produce the food the country needs,” Trujillo stated.
In Huila, the top producer of snap beans with 18,000 hectares yearly in municipalities like Colombia, Tello and Garzón, this crop is profitable: it costs 7 million pesos per hectare, yields up to 1.8 tons and sells at 1,300 pesos per kilo, yielding 12 million per hectare. Local maize stays below 5,000 hectares due to low returns, but a rotation program with rice and soy could push it over 15,000. Soy, which fixes nitrogen and cuts pests, now covers 92,000 national hectares after starting from zero four years ago; Huila aims for 400. Trujillo stressed: “We represent the country's food security; grains are on every Colombian's table daily.”