AGRICULTURE OF THE ORINOQUÍA REGION: 8 MAIN PRODUCTS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The agriculture of the Orinoquía region is based mainly on the cultivation of corn, sorghum, sugar cane, cassava, rice, oilseeds, banana, vegetables, panela, wood, bananas, cocoa, flowers, cotton, citrus fruits, tobacco, soybeans and fique.

In this region that produces cattle, extensive agriculture was previously practiced; that is to say, based on very inefficient production methods.

Now, on the contrary, agriculture is intensive given that large estates and farms have become more technical to increase their productivity.

The 8 main agricultural products of the Orinoquía region

The most important agricultural products that are grown in this region are mentioned below, both for their economic vocation and for the levels of annual production.

1- Rice

Rice is the main crop in the Orinoquía region, with more than 136,207 hectares planted and a production of 751,330 tons, according to official data from 2007.

Most of the rice is made by means of the mechanized rainfed sowing variety, especially in the departments of Meta and Casanare.

2- Corn

This region has historically been a corn producer. Previously, the planting of this item was done in small areas of land called conucos.

Today, large-scale agriculture is practiced with large fields, which occupy more than 47,000 hectares and generate a production of more than 125,000 tons.

3- Banana

The largest banana production in the region takes place in Tame, in the department of Arauca.

The banana is not only used as an essential food in the table of the population, but other by-products used by the paper industry and in crafts are obtained from it.

The region has a sown area of ​​more than 32,000 hectares and a production of more than 420,000 tons.

4- Yucca

The Orinoquía region is the largest producer of this agricultural item in the country. It is produced on a large scale in the department of Meta, which is the largest national producer.

There, more than 174,000 tons are produced annually, corresponding to 33.6% of the total national production.

5- African palm

Large-scale cultivation of African palm in this region is widespread. This legume plant is used for the industrial production of edible vegetable oil.

The departments of Meta and Casanare are the largest producers of African palm, with a production of more than 30% of the national total.

6- Soy

It is the sixth most widespread crop in the world. The department of Meta is the main national producer of soybeans in Colombia.

This agricultural item has various uses for human food. Along with sorghum, it is a fundamental raw material for animal feed (cattle, pigs and goats), and also for feeding birds and fish.

7- Sorghum

This product is used as a base for the production of concentrated animal feed and for human use.

The department of Meta is the largest national producer, with an annual production of more than 6400 tons. Sorghum is also produced in Casanare and Arauca.

8 - Wood

The department of Vichada is the place where there is the greatest exploitation of natural forests to obtain wood in this region.

References

1. Benavides, Juan: (PDF) The economic development of the Orinoquia. Recovered from caf.com.
2. Production systems in the Colombian Orinoquía. Consulted of banrepcultural.org
3. Natural Regions. Consulted of colombiaaprende.edu.co
4. Mejía Gutiérrez Mario. (PDF) Production Systems in the Colombian Orinoquía. Consulted of bdigital.unal.edu.co
5. Products and technological processes by macro-region. Corpoica. Bogotá, 1998. Recovered from books.google.co.ve
6. Chiguachi, Diego Mauricio and García A, Mauricio (PDF). Diagnosis of Creole corn from Colombia. Recovered from swissaid.org.co.
7. Artesanías, another fruit of the banana in Arauca. Consulted of unperiodico.unal.edu.co
8. Valencia Ramírez, Rubén Alfredo. Differential response of soybean varieties to the Symbiotic Association with Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains, in oxisols from the Colombian Orinoquía (PDF). National University of Colombia, 2010.