Following the detection of an outbreak of giant African snail in Costa Rica, in the community of Curubande in the canton of Liberia in Guanacaste, local authorities declared a National Phytosanitary Emergency.
The objective of this declaration is to prevent the spread of the plague, putting at risk the national agriculture, public health and the environment, informed the State Phytosanitary Service (SFE).
Panama's Ministry of Public Security bids the service of preparation and distribution of meals on site for a one-year term, for migrants who are housed in centers located in the province of Darien.
Panama Government Purchase 2021-0-18-01-05-LP-053585:
"The place of delivery of this service will be at the Migratory Reception Stations, located in the province of Darien.
During 2020, Central American vegetable exports totaled $318 million, 34% more than what was reported in 2019, a rise that is largely explained by the performance of sales to U.S. companies.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
In order to increase its installed capacity, in Guatemala the company Rianxeira invested $2.5 million in the commissioning of two new industrial buildings.
During the first four months of 2021, companies operating in Costa Rica sold $22 million worth of beef to China, this figure represents 54% of the total exported by the Central American country.
Data from the Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer) show that from January to April of this year, Costa Rican beef exports to China totaled $22 million, to the U.S. $8 million and to Puerto Rico $5 million.
In 2020, Central American countries spent $460 million to import bakery, pastry and biscuit products; of the total amount purchased abroad, Guatemalan, Honduran and Panamanian companies represented 62%.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"].
The Ministry of Public Health tenders the supply of different types of complete and balanced enteral nutritional formula for infants and adults.
Honduras Government Purchase LPN No.03-2021-HE-AFL:
"Some of the tendered items:
-Complete and balanced enteral nutrition formula for children from 1-10 years old, gluten and lactose free.
-Complete and balanced enteral nutrition formula for adults, gluten and lactose free.
For the Central American Rice Federation, the bankruptcy of more than 62 thousand rice farmers in Central America and the Dominican Republic is imminent, due to the abolition of import tariffs, a measure that is part of the implementation of the DR-CAFTA Free Trade Agreement.
Representatives of the sector consider that if the commercial liberalization of rice cultivation continues, there will be an increase in unemployment and poverty in their agricultural areas, since more than 265,000 people depend directly on this crop and approximately 990,000 people indirectly, and foresee serious social, economic and political implications due to the effects of the Treaty.
Dairy producers in Nicaragua are facing a scenario of falling prices, a situation resulting from the oversupply of this type of food reported in the local market.
Executives of the National Livestock Commission of Nicaragua (Conagan) report that with the onset of winter, the country's trading partners are reducing dairy purchases to protect local production.
During 2020, companies in the region bought corn abroad for $998 million, 5% more than what was reported in 2019, a variation that is explained by the increase in imports from Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Costa Rica.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
Despite warnings in Costa Rica that there was a deficit in the budget of Senasa, the institution in charge of applying tests to exported and imported meats, the authorities assure that the execution of these tests will not be interrupted.
A few days ago, the livestock sector had warned that the entity could be forced to suspend the tests applied to meat products, a situation that could affect the health of consumers.
In order to streamline the processes of import and export of agricultural, livestock and hydrobiological inputs and products, the virtual platform VISAR online was enabled in Guatemala.
This tool is aimed at the productive sectors, importers of products of animal and vegetable origin, agricultural inputs and exporters of agricultural, livestock and hydrobiological products, which will now reduce time in their efforts with the use of cutting-edge technology, typical of the digital era, informed the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA).
During 2020, Central American imports of infant formula for infant feeding packaged for retail sale totaled $134 million, an amount that is 9% lower than the amount reported in 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
Last year, Central America assigned $784 million to fertilizer imports, 4% more than in 2019, with Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador being the markets that accounted for the increase in regional purchases.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="fertilizer"].
Following Costa Rica's decision to impose requirements on the entry of avocados grown in Honduras, Costa Rican businessmen believe that these unilateral measures could generate trade retaliation for the country.
Arguing that molecular biology tests detected the presence of the Avocado Sunblotch viroid in shipments from Honduras, the Costa Rican State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) decided to start taking samples to analyze Honduran avocados.