Colombia: Cundinamarca channels certified seed and minitubers to 12 potato growers’ associations

Colombia’s leading potato-producing department is backing its smallholder associations with certified seed, fertiliser and technical support, putting most of the money into planting material. Some 126 growers in 12 associations are taking part, with each association receiving a package worth about COP 105 million (≈USD 32,600).

The programme is run by the Government of Cundinamarca through its Secretariat for Peasant Agriculture (Secretaría del Agrocampesinado), in partnership with the Colombian Federation of Potato Producers (Fedepapa). According to the department’s announcement of 7 October 2026, associations from several municipalities are receiving certified seed, minitubers, fertilisers and other inputs, together with agronomic support. The stated goals are higher productivity and stronger cooperation along the potato value chain.

Seed first

Each association receives COP 90 million (≈USD 28,000) in certified seed and minitubers, plus approximately COP 15 million (≈USD 4,700) in fertilisers and other inputs. Conversions use the Banco de la República reference rate of COP 3,216 per US dollar on 7 October.

Across all 12 associations, that comes to around COP 1.26 billion (≈USD 390,000), or roughly COP 10 million (≈USD 3,100) per participating grower. The department itself does not state a programme total; the figure is derived from the per-association amounts.

The weighting is telling: about 86% of the package goes to planting material. That targets what is widely seen as the sector’s main structural weakness. When it launched a similar call in 2025, the department cited 2021 data from ICA (the Colombian Agricultural Institute) showing that certified seed was used on only about 6.2% of the national potato area. Repeatedly replanting farm-saved tubers allows viral and bacterial infections to build up, eroding yields over successive seasons.

Field check in Une

As part of its monitoring, a team from the department visited one participating group, the Asociación de Campesinos Productores Agrícolas de Cundinamarca, in the municipality of Une. Officials confirmed that the inputs had been delivered, reviewed the technical support provided, and gathered information on how the inputs were being applied and on crop conditions. The other participating municipalities were not named.

Diego Molina, the department’s manager for production chains and systems, said that many families stood behind each association, and behind those families were farmers working every day to improve life for their households.

Part of a recurring programme

This is not the first round. In October 2024, the department and Fedepapa agreed to support 10 associations across 17 municipalities with seed, fertilisers, crop protection products, advisory services and training. In August 2025, the Secretariat opened a call for a further 10 associations, restricted to legally registered groups that had not previously received seed or minitubers under similar schemes.

The department has not said whether the current 12-association round stems from the 2025 call.

Cundinamarca’s weight in the national crop makes these schemes significant. According to the department, it accounts for more than a third of Colombia’s potato area and around 40% of national output.

What the announcement leaves out

The department has not disclosed how funding is split between itself and Fedepapa, the volume of seed in tonnes or hectares, the varieties supplied, or the content of the technical support. Nor is it clear whether the inputs are provided free of charge or require co-financing from growers.

Sources

• Gobernación de Cundinamarca, Secretaría del Agrocampesinado (7 Oct 2026): https://www.cundinamarca.gov.co/dependencias/secagrocampesinado/noticias/12-asociaciones-productoras-de-papa-reciben-semillas-insumos-y-asistencia-tecnica-en-cundinamarca
• Argenpapa (8 Oct 2026): https://www.argenpapa.com.ar/noticia/17915-colombia-cundinamarca-12-asociaciones-productoras-de-papa-reciben-semillas-insumos-y-asistencia-tecnica
• Gobernación de Cundinamarca — 2025 call for potato associations (23 Aug 2025): https://www.cundinamarca.gov.co/noticias/cundinamarca-abre-convocatoria-para-asociaciones-paperas-insumos-semilla-certificada-y-asistencia-tecnica
• Secretaría del Agrocampesinado — 2025 call terms: https://www.cundinamarca.gov.co/dependencias/secagrocampesinado/servicios-al-ciudadano/convocatorias/convocatoria-06-2025/convocatoria%20asociaciones%20de%20productores%20de%20papa%202025
• PotatoPro — 2024 Cundinamarca–Fedepapa agreement (2 Oct 2024): https://www.potatopro.com/news/2024/colombia-apoyo-institucional-productores-para-mejorar-la-cadena
• Noticias RCN — TRM, 7 Oct 2026: https://www.noticiasrcn.com/economia/precio-del-dolar-en-colombia-hoy-7-de-octubre-de-2026-1069290