The Social Assistance Plan of the Presidency tenders the supply of different types of raw food to be used in the institution's canteen, for a 12-month term.
Dominican Republic Government Purchase PASP-CCC-LPN-2021-0001:
"Some of the food required:
-630,000 sachets of cocoa powder.
-40,000 bales of 20 bottles of water each of 500 ml.
-32,025 units of fresh vegetables and fruit
In the first half of 2020, Central American countries imported $140 million worth of candies, chocolates and other cocoa-based preparations, and purchases from Chinese companies exceeded by 13% what was reported during the same period of 2019.
Data from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
As a result of a resurgence of the flying locust plague that has been reported in recent weeks, Guatemala has decided to declare a State of Phytosanitary Emergency.
There has been a new outbreak of the flying locust plague identified under the scientific name "Shistocerca piceifrons (Walker)" directly affecting the department of Peten, so a State of Emergency is issued, explains one of the recitals of the Ministerial Agreement 18-2021, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (Maga).
From January to June 2020, trade in milk and dairy products between Central American countries totaled $183 million, 19% more than what was recorded in the same period of 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
During 2020 in the Salvadoran market, bean imports increased by 122% and rice imports by 51%, a rise that is reported in the context of the health and economic crisis generated by the outbreak of covid-19.
Figures from the Central Reserve Bank specify that between 2019 and 2020, foreign purchases of beans increased from $33 million to $60 million, and those of rice increased from $30 million to $45 million.
The IADB will grant the Salvadoran government a loan for $45 million, which will be used to finance the project called "Strengthening the Climate Resilience of Coffee Forests."
According to the Government, the subscription of the loan with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has the objective of maintaining the ecosystemic services provided by the coffee forest and improving the food security of small producers, informed the Ministry of Finance of El Salvador.
The increase in the international prices of corn and soybeans, inputs used to produce animal feed, threatens to put upward pressure on the production costs of meat, eggs and dairy products.
In recent months, the international price of a bushel (27 kilos) of soybeans increased by 28%, from $10.6 to $13.62, between November 1, 2020 and January 28, 2021.
Given the announcements made by butchers about the possible increase in the price of beef, the Diaco announces that it has begun operations to prevent speculation.
The Direccion de Atención y Asistencia al Consumidor (Diaco), an agency of the Ministry of Economy, informed that it has begun operations to verify red meat prices nationwide, warning that it will not tolerate any abuse and price speculation.
In the new commercial reality in which customers value food free of any virus or bacteria, producers and international distribution chains are forced to reinforce their safety systems to reduce the risk of selling contaminated products.
Months ago, it was reported that in China, processed and frozen meat products arriving from abroad were detected with the presence of the coronavirus.
Between August 2019 and June 2020, an upward trend was evident in the average price of Central American frozen fruit exports, as it increased from $1.04 to $1.45 per kilo.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"].
Because the grain has not matured with the normal speed, at the end of the second half of December of the 2020-2021 agricultural season, the volume harvested in the country had fallen 23% compared to what was reported at the same date of the 2019-2020 cycle.
According to businessmen of the sector, the delay in the maturation of coffee is mainly because during 2020 in almost all the country the rains arrived late, a phenomenon that interrupted the normal cycle of the grain.
Between January and June 2020, Central America allocated $448 million to fertilizer imports, 2% more than the same period in 2019. Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were the markets that explained the increase in regional purchases.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
Given the blockade that has been in place since July 2020 to the entry of animal products from Costa Rica into the Panamanian market, the Panamanian guild of poultry farmers supports the actions taken by the Cortizo administration.
At the beginning of the second semester of 2020 the commercial conflict between both countries began, since Panama informed the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica (MAG), about the decision not to extend the authorization for export to a list of Costa Rican establishments previously authorized and that have been commercializing in the Panamanian market for many years.