Buyer intelligence · Colombia · fresh fruit and vegetables
Sourcing fresh produce from Colombia: what is exported, where it may go and what buyers must check
Trade data retrieved 27 Oct 2026 · sources reviewed 28 Oct 2026
Short answer
- Colombia reported exporting 2.57 million t of bananas (USD 1,351.3 m) and 201,687 t of avocados (USD 375.9 m) in 2025, plus 227,816 t of plantains, 90,734 t of limes and lemons and 22,955 t of other fresh fruit such as pitaya (UN Comtrade, Colombia-reported).
- Hass avocado access is confirmed by official texts for the United States (2017 rule), China, Japan and South Korea. The Netherlands is the largest buyer of Colombian avocados by value (35.8% in 2025, Analdex from DIAN data).
- A trade flow is not market access, and ICA says the absence of a work plan is not conclusive: check ICA's SISPAP system and the destination authority for each product.
- Every production site, packhouse and exporter needs ICA registration under Resolución 824 de 2022. SeedMatch is a buyer-side sourcing intermediary, free for buyers, for programmes from USD 250,000: we do not export, certify or hold stock, and suppliers do not contact you directly.
How to read this page: Confirmed trade flow = Colombia reported exports to that destination in UN Comtrade. Status = what an official text says about that product entering that market. Opportunity labels (open, market signal, watchlist) describe evidence, not confirmed buyer demand, which is qualified only through a request. Nothing here is a supplier offer, a price or a legal opinion.
Colombia's reported exports by product
Colombia as reporter, exports to the world, net weight and FOB value; destinations ranked by 2025 net weight. Source: UN Comtrade, retrieved 27 Oct 2026; figures may be revised.[1]
| Product (HS) | 2024 tonnes | 2024 USD m | 2025 tonnes | 2025 USD m | Largest 2025 destinations (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bananas, fresh or dried (excl. plantains) (080390) | 2,145,748 | 1,084.9 | 2,567,397 | 1,351.3 | Belgium 487,113 · United States 471,071 · United Kingdom 333,498 · Italy 316,173 · Germany 310,783 · Reported as Nigeria (code 566)* 169,478 · France 125,171 |
| Plantains, fresh or dried (080310) | 172,858 | 140.5 | 227,816 | 181.4 | United States 90,119 · United Kingdom 39,279 · Belgium 26,470 · France 18,639 · Spain 17,541 · Reported as Nigeria (code 566)* 11,604 |
| Avocados, fresh or dried (080440) | 138,562 | 310.0 | 201,687 | 375.9 | Reported as Nigeria (code 566)* 77,185 · United States 58,601 · Spain 17,628 · United Kingdom 17,147 · Belgium 10,464 · Germany 5,703 |
| Lemons and limes, fresh or dried (080550) | 97,323 | 138.7 | 90,734 | 121.5 | United States 67,195 · Reported as Nigeria (code 566)* 7,928 · France 2,384 · Dominican Rep. 1,760 |
| Other fresh fruit (the code covers fruit such as pitaya, passion fruit and cape gooseberry) (081090)The HS code groups several fruits and does not split them. | 23,672 | 106.4 | 22,955 | 116.5 | Reported as Nigeria (code 566)* 14,765 · United Kingdom 1,630 · Germany 1,389 · United States 1,280 · Canada 1,139 |
| Cut flowers and flower buds (0603)Horticulture, but not fresh fruit or vegetables: outside SeedMatch's produce RFQ. | 329,706 | 2,347.7 | 339,581 | 2,397.3 | United States 251,903 · United Kingdom 15,128 · Canada 11,425 · Spain 10,524 · Reported as Nigeria (code 566)* 10,425 · Japan 7,422 |
*Colombia's 2025 report lists a partner coded 566 (Nigeria) for avocados, bananas, limes and other fruit, and no Netherlands. The Netherlands reported importing 65,513 t of Colombian avocados and 13,827 t of HS 081090 fruit in 2024, and Analdex ranks the Netherlands first with USD 134.2 m of 2025 avocado exports — the same value as code 566. We therefore treat code 566 as probably the Netherlands; verify before relying on the partner split.
Where Colombian produce may go: destination status
Each row cites the official text it rests on. Rows marked “verify” could not be confirmed from an official source in this review; they are not a statement that the route is closed.
| Product | Destination | Status | What the official text says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avocados, fresh or dried | United States | Admissible with conditions (official text) | Fresh Hass into the continental United States under a systems approach with orchard and packinghouse requirements, port-of-entry inspection and a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration (rule effective 14 Sep 2017).[2] |
| Avocados, fresh or dried | China | Admissible with conditions (official text) | Phytosanitary protocol announced by MinCIT on 31 Jul 2019, covering ICA registration, good agricultural practice, pest-free production sites and supervised packing; ICA lists a China work plan for Hass. The GACC instrument date was not verified.[3][4] |
| Avocados, fresh or dried | Japan | Admissible with conditions (official text) | MAFF standard for fresh Hass avocados from Colombia (Notice No. 588, 31 Jul 2019), with designated sites and packhouses.[5] |
| Avocados, fresh or dried | South Korea | Admissible with conditions (official text) | MinAgricultura announced South Korea's opening for Colombian Hass on 19 Mar 2021; ICA lists a Korea work plan.[6][7] |
| Avocados, fresh or dried | European Union | Not confirmed — verify with the authority | A phytosanitary certificate is required (avocados are not among the five exempt fruits). Product-specific EU conditions were not verified in this review.[8][9] |
| Bananas, fresh or dried (excl. plantains) | European Union | No phytosanitary certificate required | The European Commission lists bananas among five fruits that need no phytosanitary certificate; EU food-safety and marketing rules still apply.[8] |
| Bananas, fresh or dried (excl. plantains) | China | Admissible with conditions (official text) | ICA lists a China work plan for fresh banana; the approval date was not verified.[4] |
| Lemons and limes, fresh or dried | China | Admissible with conditions (official text) | ICA lists a China work plan for fresh acid lime; the approval date was not verified.[4] |
| Lemons and limes, fresh or dried | United States | Not confirmed — verify with the authority | Colombia reported 67,195 t of lime and lemon exports to the US in 2025, but the current APHIS conditions were not retrieved; check ACIR.[10] |
| Yellow pitaya | Japan | Admissible with conditions (official text) | MAFF standard for yellow pitaya shipped directly from Colombia (Notice No. 877, effective 1 Aug 2023).[11] |
| Yellow pitaya | South Korea | Admissible with conditions (official text) | ICA lists a Korea work plan for yellow pitahaya.[7] |
| Cape gooseberry (uchuva) | United States | Not confirmed — verify with the authority | A rule on cape gooseberry from Colombia was published on 2 May 2014; current treatment requirements were not verified — check ACIR.[12][10] |
| Mango (Tommy Atkins) | Japan | Admissible with conditions (official text) | Tommy Atkins only, with vapor heat treatment, under MAFF Notice No. 1471 (2009, amended to 26 Jul 2023). Japan reported no fresh fruit imports from Colombia in 2025.[13] |
| Cut flowers and flower buds | United States | Admissible subject to inspection | All imported cut flowers must be available for examination at the port of first arrival; infested shipments may be treated, destroyed or re-exported at the importer's expense.[14] |
General information, not legal advice. Each importer, exporter and supplier remains responsible for the rules that apply to its own role; requirements change, so confirm the current product–destination requirement with the authorities before contracting.
Colombian export rules every supplier must meet
These apply before a consignment leaves Colombia, whatever the destination.
1. ICA registration of production sites, packhouses and exporters
Resolución 824 de 2022, which repealed Resolución 448 de 2016, sets the requirements. ICA issues three separate registrations — production site, packhouse and exporter — and verifies production sites with a technical visit.[15][16]
2. Destination work plans and SISPAP
ICA publishes bilateral work plans with the phytosanitary conditions per product and destination, but says the absence of a plan is not conclusive: check SISPAP for the current requirement.[17]
Opportunities and watchlist
Evidence-based leads for buyers. None of them is confirmed buyer demand or a supplier offer; each is qualified through a request.
Open
Hass avocados for Europe and the United States
Colombia reported 201,687 t of avocado exports in 2025; Analdex reports that slightly more than 60% went to Europe, and US access has applied since 2017.[1][18][2]
Market signal
Hass avocados for China, Japan and South Korea
Official access exists for all three, but no Asian market appears among the six largest 2025 partners, and Japan reported no fresh fruit imports from Colombia in 2025. Asian demand is a hypothesis to test with importers.[3][6][5][1]
Buyer checklist before contracting
- The ICA registrations of the production site, packhouse and exporter for each lot
- The ICA work plan or SISPAP requirement for your product and destination, saved with the date you checked it
- For the US: the APHIS conditions for that product (systems approach for Hass; the ACIR record for limes and other fruit)
- For Japan, China or South Korea: confirmation that the site and packhouse are on the current enabled list
- Residue results against the destination's limits and your own specifications
- Food-safety and social certificates your customers require, shown as current certificates naming the holder and site
- Cold chain: pre-cooling, reefer set point and transit time; ripeness targets for Hass agreed in writing
- Incoterms, inspection point and who carries the rejection risk
Colombian exporters (research leads)
Our Colombian exporter directory lists avocado, banana, mango and yellow pitaya exporters, packhouses and associations with each role as its source states it and Japan access status per product; a separate export-origin page shows destination flows. Listing is not a partnership or endorsement.
Sourcing a Colombian programme
Send one confidential request with product, variety, grade, packaging, volume, destination, delivery window and the documents your customers require. A sourcing specialist reviews it before any supplier is approached; supplier communication is mediated by Global B2B Group, SeedMatch's parent group. Free for buyers; programmes from USD 250,000. No guarantee of price, supply or import approval.
Questions buyers ask
Can Colombian Hass avocados be exported to the United States?
Yes, into the continental United States under the 2017 APHIS rule: a systems approach with orchard and packinghouse requirements, port-of-entry inspection and a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration.
Which Asian markets accept Colombian Hass avocados?
Official texts confirm China (protocol announced on 31 July 2019), Japan (MAFF standard of 31 July 2019) and South Korea (opening announced on 19 March 2021). Each requires registered sites and packhouses.
Do Colombian bananas need a phytosanitary certificate for the EU?
No. The European Commission lists bananas among five fruits exempt from the certificate; other EU import rules still apply.
Why does the trade table show Nigeria?
Colombia's 2025 report uses partner code 566 (Nigeria) where Dutch import data and Analdex point to the Netherlands. We flag the code rather than change it; verify before relying on the partner split.
Is SeedMatch an exporter?
No. SeedMatch Group is a buyer-side sourcing intermediary and does not export, certify or hold stock. Buyers do not pay to submit a request; managed sourcing is for programmes from USD 250,000, and supplier communication is mediated by Global B2B Group.
Sources
Official and primary sources as titled by their publishers. Dates are publication or effective dates; undated pages show the day we read them.
- UN Comtrade Database — origin-reported exports by partner, annual, HS six-digit — United Nations Statistics Division, 27 Oct 2026
- Importation of Hass Avocados From Colombia (final rule; effective 14 Sep 2017) — USDA APHIS, Federal Register, 15 Aug 2017
- China da luz verde al ingreso de aguacate Hass colombiano — Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo, Colombia, 31 Jul 2019
- Planes de trabajo: China (Hass avocado, banana, acid lime — fresh fruit) — ICA, undated page, accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Standards for fresh Hass avocados shipped from Colombia (Notice No. 588) — MAFF Plant Protection Station (Japan), 31 Jul 2019
- Gobierno Nacional logró admisibilidad de aguacate Hass colombiano a Corea del Sur — Ministerio de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural, Colombia, 19 Mar 2021
- Planes de trabajo: Republic of Korea (Hass avocado, yellow pitahaya) — ICA, undated page, accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Trade in plants and plant products from non-EU countries — European Commission, DG SANTE, undated page, accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 on protective measures against plant pests (consolidated text) — European Commission / EUR-Lex, undated page, accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements (ACIR) database — USDA APHIS, undated page, accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Standards for fresh yellow pitaya shipped directly from Colombia (Notice No. 877, effective 1 Aug 2023) — MAFF Plant Protection Station (Japan), 26 Jul 2023
- Federal Register issue of 2 May 2014: Importation of Cape Gooseberry From Colombia — Office of the Federal Register, 2 May 2014
- Standards for fresh Tommy Atkins mangoes shipped from Colombia (Notice No. 1471, amended to 26 Jul 2023) — MAFF Plant Protection Station (Japan), 26 Jul 2023
- 7 CFR 319.74-2 — Conditions governing the entry of cut flowers — eCFR (USDA APHIS rule), undated page, accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Resolución 824 de 2022: registration of production sites, exporters and packhouses for fresh plant exports (repeals Resolución 448 de 2016) — Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA), 28 Jan 2022
- Registros para exportación de vegetales (production site, packhouse and exporter registrations) — ICA, undated page, accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Planes de trabajo para exportación de vegetales en fresco (absence of a plan is not conclusive; consult SISPAP) — ICA, undated page, accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Exportaciones de aguacate crecieron un 21,3% durante 2025 (DIAN data, Analdex analysis) — Analdex (Colombian exporters' association), undated page, accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Exportaciones de banano colombiano: entre las principales del mundo — ProColombia, 31 Jul 2025