14ymedio, Havana, 11 March 2024 – After starting negotiations last July and after approving the health certifications in December, the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) will send the first batch of eggs to Cuba. Two 40-foot containers with 17,280 boxes of 30 units – 518,400 eggs in total – will soon leave for the Island, the Institute assured, although without revealing the exact date.
Juan Fernando Roa Ortiz, general manager of the ICA, described the agreement between Bogotá and Havana as “an important milestone” and assured that “this first export of eggs to Cuba is testimony to the commitment of our producers to health, safety and quality, allowing our products to reach more international markets.”
“We are sure that our high-quality fresh eggs will be well received by consumers on the Island,” said Roa Ortiz.
Since 2023, both Governments have been discussing health frameworks and import requirements so that the Colombian product reaches Cuba as soon as possible. After reaching an agreement at the last Havana International Fair (Fihav), the ICA and the National Center for Animal Health (Cenasa) of the Island gave the green light to export in December.
Roa Ortiz said that he hopes that business with the Island will bring “great benefits for the national economy, the generation of employment and the transformation of the Colombian countryside”
“Last year we had the opportunity to participate in the largest food fair in Cuba, Fihav, with the help of Procolombia and the ICA; in which not only commercial agreements were consolidated, but sanitary agreements were defined between the ICA and Cenasa, the Cuban health authority, to achieve effective admissibility for eggs in shell,” stressed Gonzalo Moreno, executive president of the Federation