ABSTRACT:
This article is aimed at discussing the competitiveness of the oil palm industry in Colombia in comparison with Malaysia’s own industry in terms of production, trade, consumption and infrastructure. Prospects of investment in the industry in Colombia are also discussed. For the purpose of analysing the information gathered, a SWOT analysis was used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the Colombia’s oil palm industry. Colombia was chosen for this article based on the fact that there is currently a lack of information and of a database on this country with regard to her oil palm industry. The information in this article was collected primarily from various secondary sources. Not all of this information was of the latest year because of the difficulty in sourcing the most up-to-date information. It is hoped that this article will assist Malaysian oil palm industry players in having a better understanding of the developments pertaining to the oil palm industry in Colombia as well as gauging the challenges, if any, posed by this country and the prospect for investments.
Keywords: oil palm, competitiveness, trade, Colombia