SECONDARY SECTOR IN COLOMBIA: CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPORTANCE - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The secondary sector in Colombia represents a large part of the economic growth of that country. Its main strength lies in oil, mining, the textile and clothing industry, the automobile industry or crafts.

The secondary sector is made up of all those activities that involve the transformation of goods, which are used as raw material for the manufacture of other elements.

The Colombian industrial sector is one of the ones that offers the most economic contributions to the country. Much of Colombia's exports are made up of products generated from this sector and, although internal policies are necessary for the development of the area, the international scene also has a lot of influence.

You may be interested in the Primary Sector in Colombia: Characteristics and Economic Importance.

Most relevant characteristics of the secondary sector in Colombia

Petroleum

The oil industry is one of the most important in the nation. This sector generates about 95 thousand jobs and represents 7% of the gross domestic product.

A few years ago, the Colombian oil industry experienced a decline generated, among other things, by the global decline in oil prices.

However, according to the Colombian Chamber of Petroleum Goods and Services, in 2017 oil companies have raised an investment of more than four billion dollars for exploration and production work.

The Colombian authorities have determined that the exploration work is very important, because this will allow obtaining new reserves and developing the sector much more.

Despite the fact that there are different factors at the global level that influence these plans to take place effectively, the existence of greater investment in the sector, which is one of the most relevant for Colombia, is undeniable.

You may be interested What are the Natural Resources of Colombia?

Mining

Mining is another of the most important practices in the Colombian secondary sector. In Colombia there are 211 types of minerals that are exploited, among which gold, coal, nickel and copper stand out.

In 2016, the mining sector represented 28% of Colombian exports, and representatives of the sector indicate that 2017 is a year that can bring good scenarios for Colombian products, especially gold and coal.

This type of industry is strongly affected by international scenarios. For example, according to the Colombian Mining Association, during 2016 there was a lot of variation in prices in international markets.

This situation harms both the industry and the country, because less investment in the mining industry implies fewer jobs and less economic capacity of workers.

One of the challenges of the mining industry is to end illegal activity. For this reason, members of the sector have pressured the authorities to adjust the regulations and thus allow them to have greater control over the conditions of exploitation of the minerals.

Textile and clothing

The textile and clothing sector generates about 950 million square meters of fabrics, which implies that about 200 thousand direct jobs and more than 600 thousand indirect jobs are generated.

About 30% of what is produced is exported, production divided into ten thousand factories distributed throughout the country.

New challenges have arisen in the textile industry, such as the need to expand markets and increase productivity levels.

One of the difficulties that the Colombian textile industry has encountered is trying to enter a market together with products made in Asia, which tend to be much cheaper.

In addition, some representatives of the sector indicate that there is currently little workforce interested in participating in the textile industry, which prevents maintaining delivery deadlines and responding to large demands.

Some government institutions, such as the Chamber of Textiles and Apparel of the Industrial Association of Colombia, have sought to create alliances with other countries, such as Costa Rica or Guatemala, to reduce tariffs or generate production or marketing agreements.

Greater benefits have also been sought through the Productive Transformation Program, the intention of which has been to reduce costs and increase both production and exports.

You may be interested The 10 Strongest Economic Regions of Colombia.

Automotive industry

The Colombian automotive industry represents 4% of the country's industrial production, generating 3.5% of jobs in the manufacturing sector.

This sector has experienced different scenarios. Domestic consumption of automobiles manufactured in Colombia has tended to decline, unlike exports, which have increased by a few points.

In 2013 Colombia opened its first car factory. This initiative came through the Industrial Reconversion Project, in order to increase the productive development of the country.

More than 200 million dollars were invested, a thousand new jobs were created and a production of 60 thousand cars a year was projected.

Colombia has carried out different practices that contribute to the development of the sector. One of these has been the training of Colombians in applied robotics, through which they have programmed robots that participate in the manufacture of automobiles, allowing greater automation of processes, and a more efficient experience.

In addition to conventional automobiles, the Colombian automotive industry seeks innovation from the creation in 2015 of a car that runs on electricity and wind energy. It is expected that it can be mass produced in the coming years.

Crafts

The handicraft sector is commonly seen as an area that does not contribute much to the economic growth of the country. However, figures from 2016 indicate that some 350,000 Colombians develop within this area.

15% of Colombia's manufacturing industry is made up of handicrafts. Among the most produced products are woven materials, wood carving and work with ceramics.

In recent years, various government initiatives have been carried out that seek to support this practice and make it competitive both in the domestic market and internationally.

For example, at the XXII Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in 2012, the creation of the Ibero-American Program for the Promotion of Handicrafts was approved, the intention of which is to promote Ibero-American handicrafts and make them competitive in the national and international market. through the creation of favorable public policies.

Articles of interest

Primary sector in Colombia.

Tertiary sector in Colombia.

References

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