Corporación Colombia Internacional (CCI) has launched a new quality seal for agricultural products with a strong focus on environmental and social responsibility, as well as worker welfare. 

Speaking with www.freshfruitportal.com, CCI president Adriana Senior said ColombiaGAP certification would support producers wishing to access domestic and international markets.

The certification goes hand in hand with government and private sector strategies to bolster good agricultural practices and put an emphasis on products' country of origin.

"The idea is that consumers will be able to identify products of Colombian origin, and recognize us as a country that plants and sells quality products to the world."

She said products that comply with responsible production practices will have access to the seal.

"In that sense that's producers who are part of CCI's supplier development with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as others that are financed with public, private and international cooperation resources.

"Producers that have certification by area and crop with GlobalGAP, FairTrade, Rainforest Alliance and other international certifications will also be able to access the ColombiaGAP seal."

Vegetable grower Rosiris Betancur highlighted the efforts of CCI to support small growers.

"They've been a very big help. They've helped us strengthen our productive work and trade. We are a group of 47 people of which 29 are women who are heads of their households," Betancur said.

"It was formed 10 years ago and we'd never had any projects, but today we are undertaking two and we expect to start exporting our production in two or three months' time," she said, adding that her farm included watermelons, eggplant, cucumbers and chile peppers.

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