General News

Antioquia Sees Progress on ‘4G’ Highways, Ocean Freight Port, but Gov. Perez Blocks Toyo

Medellin Herald February 3, 2016

Colombia’s national infrastructure development agency (ANI) announced in late January that progress is being made on crucial “fourth generation” (4G) highway projects (totaling COP$12 trillion/US$3.5 billion) in Antioquia, as well as the just-approved “Port Antioquia” ocean freight project.

General News

Canada’s PharmaCielo Proposes Marijuana Extract Farm in Antioquia

Medellin Herald February 3, 2016

Toronto-based PharmaCielo announced February 3 that it has petitioned Colombia’s Ministry of Health and the National Council on Narcotics for rights to build a marijuana farm and cannabis extract plant in the Medellin suburb of Rionegro, Antioquia. The enterprise would produce oil extracts that could be used for elaboration of drugs for treating cancer, epilepsy […]

Colombian economy

Colombia Successfully Confronts ‘El Niño’ Thanks to Power Diversification

Medellin Herald February 3, 2016

Medellin-based XM — Colombia’s free-market electric-power trading organization – announced February 2 that despite the “El Niño” drought phenomenon that has cut hydropower capacity, thermoelectric generators have more-than taken-up the slack. As a result, Colombia isn’t experiencing the power blackouts suffered during the 1992 drought – which is great news for

Congresses & Conferences

Colombiatex 2016: Fine Weaving of Business, Technology & Artistry

Medellin Herald January 29, 2016

The 28th annual Colombiatex textile-industry conference and trade show at Medellin’s Plaza Mayor convention center January 26-28 not only surpassed expectations in terms of business deals, trade-show space, new technologies, expert insights and fashion shows. It also wowed 21,300 in-person show-floor attendees (up 12% year-on-year), another 9,960 in-person attendees for 26

Colombian economy

Antioquia’s Flower Producers Gear-up for Valentine’s Day Exports

Medellin Herald January 29, 2016

Some 500 million Colombian flowers are expected to be exported in the run-up to February 14 (Valentine’s Day) – most of which will go to the United States, according to Asocolflores, the Colombia trade association of flower producers. Antioquia is second only to Bogota in cut-flower production and export, with Valentine’s Day accounting for about […]

General News

Antioquia’s ‘Autopista 4G Conexion Norte’ Highway Project Reaches Financial Close

Medellin Herald January 27, 2016

Colombia’s national infrastructure agency (ANI in Spanish initials) announced January 26 that financial close has now been achieved for the COP$1.1 trillion (US$324.8 million) “Autopista 4G Conexion Norte” highway project linking Medellin north-eastward to Atlantic coast highways. The “Conexion Norte” project — part of the massive “fourth generation” (4G) highways

General News

Medellin Cost-of-Living a Relative Bargain; Health Care Outstanding: Global Survey

Medellin Herald January 22, 2016

The latest consumer-generated survey results compiled by global database analyst Numbeo find that Medellin is a relative bargain compared to other major cities in South America, while Medellin’s health-care system quality is ranked best in all of the Americas. Besides beating-out the U.S. and all its neighbors on relative health-care quality, the consumer survey also […]

Colombian economy

Colombia’s GDP Slows, but Antioquia New-Businesses Growth Comparatively Robust

Medellin Herald January 22, 2016

A new report from Colombia’s national federation of local Chambers of Commerce (Confecamaras) shows that while the growth of Colombia’s gross domestic product (“PIB” in Spanish initials) slipped in 2015 versus 2014, Antioquia continued to support a relatively robust growth of new businesses. The total number of start-up businesses registered with Colombia’s various local

Congresses & Conferences

Medellin Hosts 33,000 Visitors for Annual ‘Colombiatex’ Textile-Industry Spectacle

Medellin Herald January 21, 2016

The 28th annual “Colombiatex” textile industry conference and trade show January 26-28 at Medellin’s Plaza Mayor convention center is expected to draw some 33,000 national and international visitors, more than 500 exhibitors and some 11,000 buyers. According to Medellin-based show organizer Inexmoda – Colombia’s leading textile- and fashion-industry trade association –

Colombian economy

Colombian Industry Resilient as Oil Prices Plummet; World Bank Hails Policies

Medellin Herald January 19, 2016

Unlike its floundering, oil-dependent neighbors in “socialist” Venezuela and Ecuador, Colombia’s capitalist economy and industrial output are showing resilience, as indicated by the latest Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) statistical survey. The monthly survey released January 18 shows that factory output in Colombia rose 4.8%