From 1 to 3 September, the Colombian poultry sector gathered in Cali for the XXII National Poultry Congress organised by the Colombian Federation of Poultry Farmers (FENAVI). With more than 3,900 professional visitors and 230 exhibitors, the event is one of the most important meeting points for the poultry sector in Colombia and Spanish-speaking Latin America.
For the Netherlands Agricultural Network (LAN) Andes, FENAVI 2026 was an opportunity to strengthen a long-standing relationship with the Colombian poultry sector and, at the same time, connect Dutch expertise with new business and cooperation opportunities.
Beeld: © LAN Andes / Natalia Serrano
Dutch delegation - Fenavi Congress 2026
From trade to knowledge exchange
The Netherlands and Colombia have been working together in the poultry sector for several years. The Netherlands participated as country guest of honour at FENAVI in 2018, and Dutch companies and knowledge institutions have returned to the congress in subsequent editions. In 2020, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and FENAVI also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation around competitiveness, economic development, circular economy and sustainable development of the poultry sector.
The relationship goes beyond the trade of agricultural products and inputs. The Netherlands brings experience in areas such as automation, animal health, biosecurity, feed production, incubation and efficient production systems. Dutch agricultural expertise is increasingly relevant as Colombia’s poultry sector looks to modernise, improve efficiency and strengthen its sustainability and export potential.
This was the message behind the Dutch presence at FENAVI 2026: the Netherlands is not only a trading partner, but also a knowledge and technology partner.
Seven Dutch companies, one connected value chain
The Dutch Pavilion brought together seven companies working across different stages of the poultry value chain: HatchTech Group, Viscon Hatchery Automation, Innovatec Hatchery Automation, Ottevanger Milling Engineers, Walinga, De Gier Drive Systems and MS Schippers.
Their solutions covered areas ranging from hatchery automation and egg handling to feed and grain processing, farm equipment, drive systems, hygiene and biosecurity.
Together, the companies illustrate the breadth of the Dutch poultry ecosystem: technologies that can help producers improve productivity and efficiency while addressing animal welfare, biosecurity, resource use and environmental performance.
The participation also provided an opportunity for the companies to meet Colombian producers and other stakeholders and explore potential partnerships and business opportunities in a growing market. The Colombian poultry sector grew by 9.1% in 2025 and is undergoing significant investment in modernisation, sustainability and production capacity.
Beeld: © Holland House Colombia / Holland House Colombia
Fenavi Congress 2026
LAN Andes as a bridge between sectors
For LAN Andes, participation in an event such as FENAVI is about more than creating visibility for Dutch companies. It is about understanding the challenges faced by the Colombian sector and identifying where Dutch expertise can add value.
This means facilitating connections between companies, sector organisations, government institutions and other stakeholders; identifying potential business opportunities; and creating spaces where Colombian and Dutch partners can explore practical solutions together.
The Dutch Pavilion provided one such space. In addition to the exhibition, LAN Andes hosted a Dutch networking cocktail, bringing together the participating companies and Colombian stakeholders from the poultry sector. These encounters are an important first step towards partnerships, technology transfer and longer-term commercial relationships.
The approach reflects the broader role of the Netherlands Agricultural Network: supporting Dutch companies, knowledge institutions and organisations in their international ambitions while strengthening cooperation around shared agricultural challenges.
Connecting poultry with the circular economy
Sustainability was also an important part of the Dutch contribution at FENAVI 2026. For LAN Andes, this means looking beyond individual technologies and considering how different parts of the food system are connected.
The Embassy and FENAVI have been working together for several years to build a more sustainable poultry value chain, in collaboration with universities and knowledge centres. This cooperation has covered a range of topics, including animal welfare, antimicrobial resistance, insect rearing as an alternative source of protein for animal feed, and manure valorisation. These initiatives reflect a broader Dutch approach to sustainable agriculture, in which innovation and knowledge exchange are used to address challenges across the entire value chain.
The poultry sector, for example, generates organic residues that can become inputs for other productive activities. This is particularly relevant to LAN Andes' work on circular agriculture in Colombia, where the valorisation of agricultural and livestock by-products has been identified as an area with potential for Dutch knowledge, technology and cooperation. The Netherlands' circular agriculture approach focuses on closing production cycles and reducing pressure on natural resources, while creating opportunities for innovation and collaboration with international partners.
A practical example of this systems approach can also be found in LAN Andes' work with the Kankuama community in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, where agricultural residues are used to produce insects whose larvae can serve as feed for fish and poultry. Such initiatives demonstrate how circularity can connect different production systems and create new ways of using resources that would otherwise be considered waste.
Beeld: © LAN Andes / Natalia Serrano
Ben Kubbinga - Agricultural Counsellor
A partnership built around shared challenges
The participation at FENAVI 2026 therefore reflects a broader ambition for Dutch-Colombian agricultural cooperation: combining business development with knowledge exchange and sustainability.
For Colombia, Dutch solutions can contribute to the modernisation and efficiency of a growing poultry industry. For Dutch companies, the Colombian market offers opportunities to develop partnerships and apply their technologies and expertise in a dynamic agricultural economy.
For LAN Andes, the role is to help bring these two sides together, connecting Colombian challenges with Dutch knowledge, technology and business experience, while creating opportunities for longer-term cooperation.
As Colombia continues to strengthen its poultry industry, the Netherlands will remain engaged as a partner in innovation, sustainable production and circularity.
The participation at FENAVI 2026 was another step in that direction.