The close relationship between the sugar industry and antitrust in Latin America – The Colombian Cartel

In light of the recent decision in Colombia regarding an agreement to block imports of sugar from other Latin American countries, we will present to you our first impressions. This post offers our comments on what we consider to be the issues that make the study of this decision so peculiar.

Amine’s comments:

The sugar industry and antitrust cultivate a very close relationship in Central and South America. One of our previous post analyzes the approach of El Salvador’s competition authority in dealing with this market.

Nowadays, the sugar industry is widely talked about in Colombia. The market is very peculiar since, at the center of the sector, there is a mechanism called FEPA. The main goal of the mechanism is to stabilize the prices of sugar, ensure a fair remuneration to producers, regulate the production and stimulate exports. To achieve those goals, FEPA’s committee enjoys some very interventionist powers…