The State of Alabama Development Office and the United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service are organizing a Trade Mission to Bogota and Cali, Colombia from November 1 to November 7, 2009.
The mission will help participating firms gain market information, make business and government contacts, solidify business strategies and advance specific projects, towards the goal of increasing U.S. exports to Colombia. The mission will include business-to-business matchmaking appointments with local companies, site visits and meetings with the Chambers of Commerce, including ColAmCham. The delegation will be comprised of U.S. firms representing a cross section of U.S. industries with growing potential in Colombia.
Colombia is the fifth largest market for U.S. exports in Latin America and is ranked 29th as a market for U.S. exports globally. Since the election of President Alvaro Uribe in May 2002, Colombia has become one of the most stable economies in the region. Improved security and government policies, steady growth, moderate inflation and a wide range of opportunities combined with a relatively stable political environment make it an excellent market for U.S. exporters. In recent years, Colombia has demonstrated its commitment to furthering economic growth and to increasing trade between the United States and Colombia.
The United States and Colombia signed the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement on November 22, 2006 and President Bush sent the implementing legislation to Congress on April 8, 2008. The Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) will go into effect upon Congressional approval and once Colombia has taken the necessary steps to ensure implementation of its obligations. The TPA offers tremendous opportunities for exporters. When the Agreement enters into force, 80 percent of U.S. consumer and industrial exports to Colombia will be duty-free immediately. The remaining tariffs will be phased out over the next 10 years. Colombia’s increasingly democratic and transparent government and the impending Trade Promotion Agreement provide a solid foundation for U.S. businesses interested in exporting to Colombia.
For more information on this trade mission or to register, contact Hilda Lockhart, Director of International Trade at the Alabama Development Office: 334.242.0442 or ; or Robert Stackpole, International Trade Specialist at the Birmingham Export Assistance Center: 205-731-1333 or .
To learn more about Colombia’s markets, click on the drop-down menu below. For additional market reports, contact .
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