The closure of the Pan-American Highway due to a landslide in the Rosas (Cauca) sector, milk producers and marketers in the country are on alert since they cannot get their product out of Nariño and are at risk of losing more than 364,000 liters a day.
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The situation is so complicated that the Colombian Association of Milk Processors (Asoleche)led by Andrea González Cárdenas, sent a letter to the Minister of Transportation, Guillermo Reyes, to request a timely solution to this emergency.
And it is that the production of milk from the department of Nariño supplies daily the national supply with 364,000 liters from 23,000 dairy production units.
The union explains that these territories are characterized by small-scale production and that the majority depends on the effective commercialization of milk for their livelihood, which could be increased to about 100,000 inhabitants of the national territory, without counting consumers. .
“Milk, a fundamental product of the food basket, requires immediate handling in order to maintain its nutritional, quality and safety characteristics, since it is a highly perishable product; but also for daily use in Colombian homes”, highlights Asoleche.
Landslide on the Pan-American highway.
Juan Pablo Rueda / ET
possible alternatives
Although alternatives are being evaluated for transport milk through corridors As Pasto – Mocoa – Pitalito, the union shows that this road also has a closure for cargo, and that for the transport of milk in tractor-trailers the road is insufficient given its size and the condition of the road.
Likewise, the possibility of transporting this milk across the Ecuadorian border via Rumichaca, entering through La Hormiga – Popayán – Caloto, is being explored. Faced with this option, Asoleche says that it should be evaluated jointly with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, seeking a timely solution for the emergency that allows it to be carried out; taking into account the foreign trade process that is required.