Puerto Rican Delegation Visits the Nataima Research Center of AGROSAVIA

• Agrosavia 22 Arracacha and the Producers of Cajamarca Were the Center of Interest.

 

Ibagué, Tolima. July 22, 2025. From July 14 to 17, a delegation made up of academia, producers, and government representatives from Puerto Rico visited our country with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of arracacha production.

During this time, they had the opportunity to meet with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture in Bogotá, visit the Nataima Research Center of AGROSAVIA in El Espinal, and tour arracacha-producing farms in the municipality of Cajamarca, Tolima. These producers belong to the ASOARRACACHOS association, one of the most representative producer organizations for this tuberous root.

During their visit to Cajamarca on July 15, they shared knowledge and experiences with producers and processors of this crop. The following day, the meeting moved to the Nataima Research Center, where they exchanged knowledge with local researchers and learned more about the ongoing research being conducted at the center—not only on arracacha but also on other species.

The Puerto Rican delegation, led by the Secretary of Agriculture, Josué Rivera, was accompanied by two officials from the department, five arracacha producers (known as "apio" in Puerto Rico), and three members of the technical and academic team from the University of Puerto Rico. One of their main objectives was to learn about the cultivation techniques used by Cajamarca’s producers and the research advances in this and other crops.

Both local and visiting producers played a key role in the exchange. They discussed, among other topics, the similarities and differences in their production systems, the diseases and pests present in each region, and how these are managed. One point that was difficult for the visitors to understand was the payment that Colombian producers receive per load of arracacha. While in Puerto Rico a load is paid at 750 USD, in Colombia it is currently only 8 USD.

The ASOARRACACHOS producer association shared with the visitors the value-added processes they have developed for arracacha. The Puerto Ricans had the opportunity to observe, taste, and in general become familiar with products such as yogurt, eggnog, caramel spread (arequipe), chips, flour, beer, and handicrafts made from arracacha. The mix of scents, images, and flavors left a strong impression on the visitors, who also came away with many entrepreneurial and business ideas that could be viable between the two countries.

During the visit to the Nataima Research Center, local researchers explained the various research processes being carried out—not only in arracacha. Topics that generated great interest included the conservation and characterization of germplasm banks for mango, achira, and soursop. They also learned about the advances made by AGROSAVIA in passionflowers, particularly in the management of Fusarium. A subject of particular relevance for the Puerto Ricans was the implementation of precision agriculture techniques.

Secretary of Agriculture Josué Rivera and the rest of the Puerto Rican delegation were particularly interested in some of the strategies implemented by AGROSAVIA, such as the National Seed Plan, seed multiplication under the minimum plan strategy, and other programs applied to arracacha cultivation.

The meeting resulted in promising commitments to collaboration, which lay the groundwork for future joint efforts in Research, Development, and Innovation (R&D&I), as well as in commercial and academic fields between institutions, governments, and even the producers themselves. Given the clear willingness expressed by all parties, we hope this is the first step in a series of exchanges that will strengthen cooperative ties for the agricultural producers of the department of Tolima, AGROSAVIA, and Colombian and Puerto Rican institutions alike.