On 28 February 2019 UNIDROIT Senior Legal Officer Ms Frederique Mestre made a presentation on “International Regulatory Models for Contract Farming” at a Workshop on “Agricultura por contrato – Aspectos legales y regulatorios, ordenamiento productivo, instrumentos financieros” – organised by…
the Colombian Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR), the European Union (First Programme) and FAO Colombia intended to pave the way to a priority programme launched by the Government at the end of 2018 to promote contract farming as a tool for rural development.
On 28 February 2019 UNIDROIT Senior Legal Officer Ms Frederique Mestre made a presentation on “International Regulatory Models for Contract Farming” at a Workshop on “Agricultura por contrato – Aspectos legales y regulatorios, ordenamiento productivo, instrumentos financieros” – organised by the Colombian Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR), the European Union (First Programme) and FAO Colombia intended to pave the way to a priority programme launched on 7 December 2018 by President Iván Duque and Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Andrés Valencia to promote contract farming as a tool for rural development. The purpose of the strategic programme named ‘Coseche, venda a la fija’, was to facilitate direct relationships between farmers and industry and market actors with the intent of securing at least 300,000 small producers in this framework by 2022.
The Workshop was attended by representatives of the Agencies under the competence of MADR and other institutions of the agricultural sector, representatives of the private sector and civil society, under the chairmanship of Ms Marcela Urueña, Vice Minister for Agricultural Affairs; Alan Bojanic, FAO Representative in Colombia and Francisco García García, Head of EU Cooperation in Colombia. The latter announced that the EU would continue supporting rural development in Colombia, investing 65 billion pesos in 2019.
Beside Ms Frederique Mestre (UNIDROIT) who illustrated the approach and conveyed the essential messages of the UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Legal Guide on Contract Farming in her presentation, the Workshop was attended by the following international experts: Carlos A. Da Silva, Agribusiness Economist and ex member of the working group on Rural Infrastructure and Agro-industries Division in FAO in Rome; Carlos Mermot, Coordinador of the Mercosur IFAD Programme; y Álvaro Ramos, International Consultant of CLAEH University and Ex Minister of Agriculture and External Relations of Uruguay.
National experts also took part in the programme, including Camilo Montes, Director of the Chamber of Food Industry of the National Association of Businesses of Colombia – ANDI; Dairo Estrada, President of the Fund for Financing in the Agribusiness Sector – FINAGRO; and Catalina Sandoval, Vice-President of Corporate Affairs of the Colombian Agricultural Society– SAC.
UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Legal Guide on Contract Farming
UNIDROIT Webpage on Contract Farming
UNIDROIT Forum on Legal Aspects of Contract Farming