Miller Magazine Issue: 134 February 2021

59 INTERVIEW MILLER / february 2021 geographic and climatic advantages, alongside its numerous developments, stand it in good stead to become a more prom- inent regional and global player in food production. Underlining agribusiness potential in Colombia, En- rique Payeras, CEO of Colombia Milling and Agrobusi- ness Consulting, said, “I think Colombia with its approx- imate 50 million inhabitants is a very interesting country to both invest and have a commercial exchange.” Mr. Payeras is a milling industry veteran in Colombia and Latin America, with multicultural senior management with over 36 years of successful experience in the agri- business. He has been in consulting activities in several countries including the USA. Colombia exports wheat mainly as wheat products such as pastry, pasta and wheat flour. The main desti- nation for Colombian wheat flour is Venezuela. In 2019, Colombian wheat exports increased by 231 percent mo- tivated by higher exports of wheat flour to Venezuela. In MY 2020/21, wheat exports are forecast to remain unchanged at 20,000 mt. According to the Wheat Millers Association (Fedemol), the cookies and pastry sector has the most dynamic growth, increasing at a faster pace. In 2019, this sector grew by 4 percent, while bread and pasta sectors grew by 2.5 percent. The Colombian wheat milling industry is entirely sup- plied through imports. As wheat production remains flat, imports are expected to continue growing to meet in- creasing demand. In the 2020/21 season, wheat imports are forecast at 2.05 million tons following increasing de- mand for wheat products and the milling industry. Can- ada is the primary supplier with a market share over 50 percent. The implementation of trade agreements with Canada and the United States have established favorable trade conditions with duty-free imports. Answering Miller Magazine questions, Mr. Payeras gives insight into the Colombian grain market and flour milling industry. Mr. Payeras, could you please briefly tell us about your professional background? I encounter the cereal and agro-industrial industry very young in a seed processing plant (corn, soy and sorghum) with interim and summer jobs. In 1979 as an industrial engineer I joined a Colombian agro-industrial corporation with industrial activities in corn processing (precooked arepa), wheat milling pasta and sugar cane processing. In 2001, I joined Port Caldera (Costa Rica) as CEO. This is the main port for the importation of agricultural products to this country. In 2005, I joined Molinos Modernos SA a Latin multination corporation headquartered in Guate- mala, with milling operations in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Since 2015, I have been in consulting