In the difficult route to increase the sector's sales abroad, the country has so far managed to register 58% of the cattle herd.
Monday, December 5, 2016
The advanced comes after five years of efforts between the authorities and trade associations to have included in their records 22% of cattle farms in the country and 58% of cattle organizations, but industry representatives believe that there is still much to be done to meet the traceability requirements that are impeding the entry of Nicaraguan meat products into some markets, including the European Union (EU).
Conagan, Faganic, other livestock and meat organizations and the dairy industry have repeatedly asked the government to establish by law a fund based on contributions from livestock farmers (similar to coffee production).Among other uses such a fund would finance some of the traceability activities that the government, through the IPSA (Institute of Animal and Plant Health Protection), is not able to cover.
The President of the Federation of Livestock Associations of Nicaragua (Faganic), Alvaro Vargas Duarte, told Laprensa.com.ni that"... industry organizations have presented the government with a list of priorities on which improvement in production and productivity of the sector depends. 'There are five fundamental points, the first is a conversion plan, then a bill of promotion that we are preparing and which will include actions for the meat and the dairy industry, the third is the creation of a livestock fund, the fourth point is the Procal II program to improve primary production systems, focused on milking to ensure the quality of milk and the last issue is to raise the health status of the country to one with negligible risk, as currently we are labelled as having a controlled risk'."
In the first four months of the year the volume of meat exported exceeded the figure for the same period in 2016 by 45% and generated income of $134 million.
The value exported was also higher than the one registered in the first quarter of last year, when $96 million was exported, according to Cetrex's figures.
They warn that if domestic prices are not adjusted and there is no guarantee to maintain the value of the local currency, they will not sell their cattle to local slaughterhouses.
Alvaro Fiallos, president of the National Union of Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG), is demanding that slaughterhouses adjust the price which has been kept frozen since late May last year at $2.97 per kilo in hot weight, and that they recognize the maintenance of the value of the cordoba.
The Central American Federation for the Beef Industry is promoting the creation of traceability protocols that would allow them to export meat to the EU.
Regional leaders in the cattle industry and beef marketers "came together to promote the creation of a traceability protocol that would allow them to export meat to the EU."
In the first six months of the year foreign sales of meat, dairy products and livestock from Nicaragua reached $234.5 million.
In the same period of 2009, sales totaled $182,614.
Ronald Blandón, CEO of Nicaraguan cattle farming association, CONAGAN, told Elnuevodiaro.com.ni that, “2010 looks like being a year of growth for our sector. The outlook for all livestock products is positive with growth of 8% forecast”.
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