The Ipiales Chamber of Commerce reported that no exports were leaving for Ecuador through the Rumichaca international bridge on May 6, five days after Ecuador imposed a 100% tariff on Colombian products.
Iván Flórez, president of the Ipiales Chamber of Commerce, described the scene as desolate. At 10:20 a.m. on May 6, the flow of cargo trucks toward Ecuador was zero. Before the tariff, about 300 tractor-trailers passed daily; now traffic has fallen nearly 98%.
The government of Daniel Noboa announced that the tariff would drop to 75% starting in June. Flórez noted, however, that local businesses view even that reduction as still blocking exports. “What our companies say is that 75% is the same as 100%,” he stated.
Imports from Ecuador have flowed somewhat more freely, though many are transits bound for Peru and Bolivia or goods without the surcharge. The impact is already visible in local employment: firms in the area have lost roughly 70% of their usual commercial activity.
