It has been several years since I attended the National Poultry Congress in Colombia. I could not attend for several reasons. Additionally, as all other meetings and conferences, it was delayed a couple of times.
The 20th edition of the meeting took place November 2-4, 2022, in the very nice city of Medellín, in Northwest Colombia. Lush green, perfect weather, modern, easy to access, what else can we ask for?
But let’s get into the important things. The congress facilities were first class. They had 2,900 attendants that visited the 170 exhibitors and attended the 15 presentations; and there were 6 panels given by 40 speakers. The 27,000 sqm-exhibition floor hosted many Colombian and international companies. The U.S. was the guest of honor country, with many United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) cooperators showcasing, such as USGC, USSEC or USAPEEC.
Attendance at the presentation was unbelievable. The room was huge, and it was always full. Speakers and presentations were tops. I personally led one of the seminars on “New Challenges,” in which I introduced speakers from the Netherlands, Spain and the U.S. They gave presentations on in ovo sexing, new feed ingredients such as insect protein, animal welfare and new marketing insights. Colombian poultry producers are aware of what is going on elsewhere and they don’t want to be left behind.
All in all, the Colombian poultry sector is leaving a mark on the region. They recently won awards for their poultry consumption marketing strategy and materials at the OVUM Congress, a strategy that many are looking at as a reference, even very large poultry producers.
Colombians are also working hard on other fronts, such as poultry health and innovation. A few companies have installed photovoltaic energy facilities in plants and farms. Great efforts have been done in declaring the country Newcastle disease-free, and they are very closely monitoring avian flu – all this in cooperation with the authorities. Women and people with special needs are also being incorporated more and more.
Fenavi, the National Poultry Producers Federation, is doing a very good job. I dare say that together, with Brazil’s SIAVS, this congress is one of the best in the region. I definitely congratulate them.
What do you think?
