At the inauguration ceremony of the new Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, the president of Colombia also mentioned that a new industrial policy is missing.
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, tasked Luis Carlos Reyes, the new Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, with an industrial policy that develops agroindustry and modernizes manufacturing.
“The Colombian State has not made industrial policy in recent decades,” he assured.
The president reiterated the need for technological transition to decarbonize the economy. For this reason, he ordered the reactivation of agriculture, industry and tourism under one pillar: industrialization, starting with agribusiness and agriculture and modernizing manufacturing.
He also added: “Export industries, which is where we have the most to do, and replace the currencies of coal and oil if international tourism grows in Colombia.”
Despite this, the president recalled the challenges that await Reyes as head of the Commerce portfolio.
A sector in critical condition
Petro mentioned that the industry is in "red numbers", and that instead of dedicating itself to small funds "that do not change anything", it will be a priority to allocate resources to industrialization and profitability.
“The industry involves allocating public and private resources in a priority manner, lowering interest rates, achieving regions prone to industrialization, stimulating profitability, transforming products in Colombia, and that implies lowering its financial costs and lowering energy costs. electricity, which is one of the best industrialization policies, but it has to be clean electric energy,” he explained.
For his part, the new head of the Commerce portfolio affirmed that industrial policy will be strengthened through investments in massive productive bets that allow financing the guarantee of fundamental rights.
“We are going to ensure that Colombia's trade is received under fair conditions abroad,” Reyes said, adding that he will ensure that anti-competitive barriers are reduced.
The Government's plan for the remaining two years
President Petro said that in the remaining two years of his administration we must achieve “an embryo (of industrialization), because we do not have time for more.”
For this reason, it will focus on developing the non-material goods industry, such as artificial intelligence in value creation. According to the president, “no government has addressed them,” and he proposed developing physical infrastructure, clean energy and optimal fiber.
