mensaje del
Presidente

Beyond the purely political considerations or the suggestions that we can make regarding the times in which the transition agendas should be put into practice, it is undeniable that new world trends invite us to emphasize, in our strategic planning, variables that lead us to return to think about what is essential: the human factor, knowledge management and the renewable use of natural resources, all articulated within the framework of industrialization and the internationalization of the economy, to guarantee the sustainability of the planet and of those who live on it .

The determination and flexibility that, as a company, we have shown over the years, has allowed us to grow in a sustained manner in our internal productivity and in the impetus that we give to the progress of the Caribbean region, especially the department of Atlántico whose GDP We contributed 8.3% through the Barranquilla Free Trade Zone and the Atlantic International Free Trade Zone – Zofia.

For their part, exports of value-added goods and services that leave our permanent free zones destined for foreign markets amounted to $268 million dollars FOB value in 2022, which represents a 56% growth in this area with respect to to 2021; Likewise, in the year that is ending we maintained the diversification of the exportable offer seen from two perspectives: on the one hand, offering products from 17 economic sectors, and on the other, reaching 80 countries that are their direct final destination.

Industrialization, so necessary for the progress of the country, is evidenced by the fact that 86% of all our users are industrial, with an increase of 13% in 2022 compared to the same result in 2021. For their part, commercial users and Support companies come together in our free zones to create an integral productive ecosystem that favors the country's foreign trade.

En materia de empleo, es necesario destacar que en las zonas francas de Barranquilla y Zofia se generan 6.452 empleos directos y formales que representan una mejor calidad de vida para igual número de familias, a las cuales el trabajo de sus miembros en las empresas instaladas en estas zonas francas les representa estabilidad socio económica, educación integral, incorporación en el sistema de salud, acceso a recreación y derecho a percibir los servicios complementarios derivados del empleo formal.

Additionally, it is relevant to highlight that companies in free zones not only generate benefits for their workers, but also have a significant impact on their productive environment and on the entire supply chain; It is noteworthy that, for example, the agro-industrial sector that has such an impact on the progress of deep Colombia, has a direct relationship with 4,886 peasant families who sell them products such as mangoes and palms, which constitute inputs and raw materials for the production of goods sold around the world.

Likewise, the impact that is achieved by reaching smallholdings and small landowners with agrochemicals especially dedicated to the planting of coffee, potatoes, vegetables and vegetables, or to the protection of crops with high standards for export such as flowers, blueberries, bananas and avocados, favors 2.2 million farmers, directly affecting the quality of their products and improving their competitiveness and productivity. Undoubtedly, regional value chains allow for greater equity in the distribution of collective wealth.

The tax reform, which occupied our organizational efforts during the last quarter of 2022, defined the activities that the Government considers a priority for the development of Colombian foreign trade, giving greater emphasis to exports, logistics, port connectivity and global chains. and regional value chains with the aim of improving the country's trade balance. Although we consider that the orientation given by Law 1004 of 2005 should be maintained by means of which the free zone system was adjusted to the requirements of the World Trade Organization, making the free regime an important instrument to attract important foreign investment, improve the health offer, generate employment and substitute imports, we are committed to the new paths that have been defined, always understanding that we are a support for the fulfillment of state tasks.

For these purposes, we count on the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism to extend the term of the Barranquilla Free Trade Zone for another 30 years, in order to minimize uncertainty, in terms of job creation, investment and business growth, which It is generated for this operator user and for all users, due to the proximity of the expiration of the declaration of permanent free zone for this geographical area owned by the Nation.

En el año que termina se realizaron 704.987 operaciones de Comercio Exterior desde nuestras zonas francas operadas, lo cual representó un incremento del 4% respecto de las realizadas en 2021; toda la operatividad de comercio exterior se ejecutó con un 99,99% de confiabilidad, de acuerdo con las interacciones realizadas con la DIAN. A través de nuestras zonas francas se registraron $3.772 millones de dólares valor FOB en movimiento de mercancías y se movilizaron 3,7 millones de toneladas.

For its part, the commercial effort allowed the sale of 61,401 M2 in the Atlantic Free Trade Zone - Zofia and managed to attract investments in an approximate amount of USD $50 million from users who trusted the legal scheme of the free regime for the installation or expansion of their companies; For its part, in the Barraquilla Free Trade Zone, deals were completed for the expansion of companies that will invest more than USD $30 million in production for export.

La construcción de 5.200 M2 de bodega en Zofia, hecha para satisfacer las específicas necesidades del cliente bajo el esquema buit to suit con todos los estándares de calidad y en tiempo récord, la ampliación de una nueva línea de producción para la atención de mercados externos en el sector de plástico y la puesta en marcha de una nueva planta para la elaboración de productos en el sector de la decoración y el entretenimiento, todo con destino prioritario a las exportaciones, evidencian que la labor de este Usuario Operador se enfoca en el mejoramiento de la balanza comercial de Colombia y en el cumplimiento de los objetivos de industrialización e internacionalización que animan la orientación productiva del país en estos momentos.

Peace expressed in smiles

One of the management areas that brings us the most joy is the social work that we carry out through the Barranquilla Free Trade Zone Foundation.

We believe that our greatest contribution to the peace and harmony that Colombia so desperately needs begins by giving new generations a solid cultural heritage that identifies them with their folkloric essence and integrates families and communities through music and sports.

The Caribbean, with its extroversion and natural joy, assumes that music is included in the bloodstream and is expressed without prevention in the movement of the shoulders, in the sway of the hips, in the cadence of the rhythm, in the elegance of the steps, in the depth of the voice, making the interpreters find new forms of communication that build bridges and solidify unions. The Fundación's School of Music teaches children and adolescents new forms of expression and communication development that make them one with their environment, from the tradition of their ancestors to the new rhythms that modernity dictates, although sometimes these surprise with his lyrics to those of us who are already part of the old guard.

Soccer, the great phenomenon of sport, has changed lives among boys in complex neighborhoods like La Luz or La Chinita in Barranquilla or Petronita and Mundo Feliz in Galapa. The mini-soccer championship, which held its 9th version in 2022, has become a kind of quarry for young people who today are part of the Colombia Sub Team, in Atlético Junior, in the Sub 15 of Atlético Nacional, in Karpaty Halych Ukraine and Racing Montevideo in Uruguay.

Both the players and the cheerleaders take their performance on the field or cheering on the stands very seriously, offering an exciting and passionate show that involves children and their families, generates employment in the educational sector and, above all, it consolidates their sense of belonging and strengthens their identity.

These two spaces bring us closer to the new generations and, therefore, to the future of the Colombian Caribbean region.

the 2023

Our organizational DNA drives us to approach challenges with creativity, innovation and optimism. The biggest challenge that this 2023 brings us is to achieve the extension of the term of the Barranquilla Free Trade Zone declaration, just as we achieved it for Zofia, where we have 30 more years of stability in the free trade regime for all the companies installed there.

For these purposes, we have been advancing negotiations with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism that will allow us to generate spaces for interaction, with a view to finding the best conditions to consolidate agreements that represent equivalent benefits for the State and citizens, in accordance with their respective goals.

One of the most significant projects that we are carrying out in 2023 is the achievement, for the Barranquilla and Zofia Free Trade Zone, of the declaration as an Industrial Ecopark, as part of a program sponsored by UNIDO in which we have already been admitted and which implies the participation of all companies from each of the free zones. Being an Ecopark makes us an entity aware of our responsibility towards comprehensive sustainability, with the use of by-products and waste from production processes, with the transition towards clean energy, with the protection of minority population segments, and in general, with a productivity that promotes the integration of the necessary elements for life on the planet.

Likewise, it is very challenging for the administration that I lead, to stabilize the volatility of macroeconomic variables in an attempt to maintain the positive results that we have obtained so far, also offering favorable scenarios for users to maintain their productivity.

Likewise, the security situation in terms of public order is a cause of great concern, especially in terms of the displacement of our officials to conflict zones where some of the special permanent free zones that we operate are located, areas in which They have intensified the positions of the armed actors, increasing the levels of risk for the operation of the free zones installed in said municipalities.

The changes that have been taking place invite us to define a new strategic vision of the business that promotes our organizational development within the framework of global trends. The strategic planning in which we are immersed will define new business paths that keep us at the forefront of foreign trade management and allow us to continue positively impacting the socio-economic growth of the city, the region and the country.

Los desafíos planteados nos unen y nos llenan de energía motivacional para superarlos y seguir avanzando en nuestro desarrollo; el conocimiento y la experiencia de nuestro equipo son los elementos clave para gestionar un futuro promisorio para todos y esperamos poder continuar ofreciendo resultados que satisfagan las expectativas de aquellos de quienes recibimos confianza y respaldo.

Muchas gracias.