ECONOMY OF THE ORINOQUÍA REGION: MAIN ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The economy of the Orinoquía region is based primarily on extensive animal husbandry and oil drilling. In the plains of Arauca is Caño Limón, one of the largest oil fields in Colombia.

In the department of Meta, several oil extraction wells were recently found, and at the foot of Monte Casanare is the Cusiana. In addition, there are also wind energy projects.

Livestock is one of the main economic activities in Orinoquía. Its food stands out for the consumption of beef or veal.

East of the Andes, in Colombia, is a vast plain crossed by innumerable rivers that flow into the mighty Orinoco River.

The Orinoquía region is known as the eastern Spanish plains and includes the states of Arauca, Casanare, Meta and Vichada. The climate is hot and dry, resulting in savanna vegetation, natural grasses, and a rich and varied fauna.

The region is also rich in oil, with deposits discovered in Arauca and Casanare attracting many new settlers, and it is also suitable for extensive cattle ranching.

The cattle that are raised are beef, to take advantage of the production of milk and meat. It is also common to raise bulls for sport (bullfighting). Another alternative to the economy is the exploitation of natural resources.

Main economic activities of the Orinoquía region in Colombia

Agriculture, livestock, mining, oil extraction and the energy industry are the main economic activities that take place in the Orinoquía region of Colombia. These activities are broken down below:

farming

Agriculture in the Orinoquía region of Colombia refers to all agricultural activities, essential for the production of food, baits and fibers, including all techniques for raising and processing livestock within the Republic of Colombia.

Plant cultivation and livestock production have continually abandoned subsistence agricultural practices in favor of technological agriculture, resulting in cash crops that contribute to the economy of the Orinoquía region of Colombia.

Colombian agricultural production has significant gaps in domestic and / or international needs for human and animal sustenance.

The main agricultural products of the Orinoquía region of Colombia are coffee (fourth largest coffee producer in the world), cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugar cane, cocoa beans, oilseeds, vegetables, fique, panela, forest products; and the prawns.

It should be noted that in the Orinoquía region of Colombia, agricultural policies and regulations are determined by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The share of agriculture in Colombia's gross domestic product (GDP) has fallen steadily since 1945, as industry and services have expanded.

Agriculture continues to be an important source of employment, providing a fifth of the jobs in Colombia.

Cattle raising

Livestock is the most widespread agricultural activity in Colombia and represents 74% of Colombian agricultural land in 2005.

However, traditionally cattle are not a particularly important or consistent net export for Colombia and the dominance of coffee within the country's agricultural exports remains largely unchallenged. Cattle are necessary for milk.

Perhaps the most significant sectoral change in modern times was the creation of the Fondo Nacional de Ganaderos (Fondo Nacional de Ganaderos, or FNG) in 1993, administered by the Asociación de Ganaderos de Colombia (Federación Nacional de Ganaderos, or Fedegan).

This fund has generated resources to address five major issues: sanitation, marketing, research and development (R&D), training and promotion of consumption. Although progress has been made on all five fronts, perhaps the most notable achievements have been in sanitation.

A national FMD vaccination program was started in 1997. In 2009, the World Organization for Animal Health declared the country free from FMD through vaccination.

Mining

The Orinoquía region of Colombia is well endowed with minerals and energy resources. It has the largest coal reserves in Latin America and ranks second in Brazil in terms of hydroelectric potential.

Estimates of oil reserves in 1995 were 3.1 billion barrels (490,000,000 m3). It also has significant amounts of nickel, gold, silver, platinum, and emeralds.

The discovery of 2 billion barrels (320,000,000 m3) of high-quality oil in the Cusiana and Cupiagua fields, some 200 kilometers east of Bogotá, has enabled Colombia to become a net oil exporter since 1986.

The Transandino pipeline transports oil from Orito in the Putumayo department to the peaceful port of Tumaco in the Nariño department.

Average total crude oil production is 620 thousand barrels per day (99,000 m3 / d); Around 184 thousand barrels per day (29,300 m3 / d) are exported.

The Pastrana government has significantly liberalized its oil investment policies, leading to increased exploration activity.

Consequently, refining capacity cannot satisfy domestic demand, so some refined products, especially gasoline, must be imported. For this reason, plans are being developed for the construction of a new refinery.

Energy

Although Colombia has great hydroelectric potential, a prolonged drought in 1992 forced severe rationing of electricity throughout the country until mid-1993.

The consequences of the drought on electricity generation capacity led the government to commission the construction or modernization of 10 thermoelectric plants.

With reference to this work, half runs on coal, and the other half runs on natural gas.

The government has also begun awarding tenders for the construction of a gas pipeline system that will run from the country's extensive gas fields to its main population centers.

First of all, the plans call for this project to make natural gas available to millions of Colombian households by the middle of the next decade.

As of 2004, Colombia has become a net energy exporter, exporting electricity to Ecuador and developing connections with Peru, Venezuela and Panama to export to those markets as well.

Also under construction is the trans-Caribbean oil pipeline that connects western Venezuela with Panama through Colombia.

References

1. Roberto Steiner and Hernán Vallejo. "Mining and energy". In Colombia: A Country Study (Rex A. Hudson, ed.). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (2010).
2. * ESMAP, 2007. Review of Policy Framework for Increased Reliance on Renewable Energy in Colombia. In press
3. Krzysztof Dydyński (2003). Colombia. Lonely Planet. p. 21. ISBN 0-86442-674-7.
4. Roberto Steiner and Hernán Vallejo. Agriculture. In Colombia: A Country Study (Rex A. Hudson, ed.). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (2010).
5. "World Economic Outlook Database". International Monetary Fund. April 2015. Colombia.