Shares in Colombia's majority state-owned energy conglomerate Ecopetrol fell 2.20% in early trading to 2,005 pesos ($0.48) each on Wednesday after the country's President Gustavo Petro called for the company to sell its U.

Ecopetrol SA shares plunged after Colombian President Gustavo Petro called on the oil producer to sell its operations in the US, citing his government’s position against fracking, which he says is destructive to nature and humanity.

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has instructed state-run oil company Ecopetrol to cancel its joint venture with the US-based Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) due to environmental concerns. The venture, which involves the fracking method of oil extraction,