For the 2018-2019 harvest, the country began to export coffee of the Robusta variety, and according to the producers for the next agricultural cycles they plan to increase their cultivable area.
According to figures from the Center for Export Procedures (Cetrex) between October 2018 and May 2019, the country sold abroad about 50,000 quintals of the Robusta variety, being the first time that the species of the grain is reported in official export figures.
Palm oil producers in Honduras declared a national emergency because of the crisis caused by the sharp drop in international prices.
In a statement issued by the National Federation of Associations of Palm Oil Producers and Extractors of Honduras (FENAPALMAH) and the Industrial Association of Palm Oil Producers of Honduras (AIPAH), it is considered that "...
The quintal of white corn has become 10% more expensive in the last two weeks in Guatemala, a rise that is explained by the decrease in supply that derives from last year's low harvests.
The Price Report of the Planning Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (Maga) states that between June 6 and 19, the price of a quintal of white corn went from $19.35 to $20.45.
In the Dominican Republic, avocado and bananas are the crops with the highest growth potential, because of the behavior of global demand.
The National Competitiveness Council of the Dominican Republic and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) presented the "Study and Diagnosis of Agricultural Chains" in which the analysis of ten value chains was carried out for agricultural products such as: avocado, cocoa, banana, coconut, mango, pineapple, greenhouse vegetables, oriental vegetables, chinola and cassava.
Because of a drop in the price of the grain, during the first eight months of the 2018-2019 harvest Honduran coffee sales abroad totaled $673 million, 14% less than what was reported in the same period of the 2017-2018 cycle.
According to figures from the Honduran Coffee Institute (Ihcafe) between the first eight months of the 2017-2018 harvest, which runs from October 2017 to May 2018, and the same period of the 2018-2019 season, sales and exported volume decreased from $786 million to $673 million, and from 6.4 million to 6.3 million, respectively.
In the context of a drop in production, in Costa Rica the government decreed a rise from $36.18 to $37.65, the price of a 73.6 kg sack of rice in bulk placed in the industrial plant.
The agreement modifying the price to the rice producer was published on June 5 in La Gaceta, and the government's action is taken in a context of low local production, because between the 2016-217 and 2017-2018 harvests, the volume produced decreased by 21%.
During 2018, Nicaraguan exports of this fruit totaled just $3.3 million, 26% less than in 2017, and the price fell 50% last year.
Figures from the Production and Trade Plan 2019-2020 detail that in 2018 the country sold abroad 126,400 quintals of mango, 13% less than what was exported in 2017.
The price of boxes of 4 kilograms of mango also reported a decrease for last year, falling from between $6.5 and $8 that is recorded in a normal year, to $3 and $3.5 that was reported in 2018.
In the first nine months of 2018, Central American countries exported pineapple for $828 million, 9% more than in the same period in 2017, mainly because of sales to U.S. companies.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics]
Exports of Guatemalan cardamom producers improved during the last harvest, as a decline in global supply resulted in a 34% increase in the selling price.
According to figures from the Bank of Guatemala, the average price per quintal of cardamom sold abroad from the country reported a rise between February 2018 and the same month of 2019, going from $489.93 to $654.80, which is explained.
Guatemalan producers estimate that for the 2018-2019 harvest production will reach 752,575 metric tons of sugar, a volume that would be slightly higher than that recorded in the 2017-2018 cycle.
The Asociación de Azucareros de Guatemala (Asazgua) projects a slightly higher growth than the previous year because of climate factors, which will be confirmed when they have the final figures for closing production.
During the first nine months of 2018, the main regional crop exported was coffee, with $2,493 million, followed by banana, with $1,939 million, pineapple, with $825 million and sugar, with $645 million.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
In Guatemala, onion crops were attacked by a virus transmitted by the pest Trip Tabaci, and it is estimated that between 50% and 70% of the crops that supply the local market have been lost.
Representatives of the Federation of Agricultural Associations of Guatemala (Fasagua) said that the problem was registered in production areas of the departments of Santa Rosa, Jalapa and Jutiapa, which supply the country in the season from December to May.
Between February 2016 and March 2017, the average price of palm oil exports from Central America increased from $0.54 to $0.74 per kilo, however, in September 2018 the kilo of the product was resold at $0.54.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
In the first nine months of 2018, Central American countries recorded $1.928 million in banana sales abroad, and exports to the Netherlands increased 5% over the same period in 2017.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
Because of the decline in the international price of sugar in recent years, agricultural businessmen in Guatemala have decided to migrate to more profitable crops, such as bananas and African palm.
Last year, Guatemalan banana exports totaled $815 million, 4% more than the $782 million reported in 2017, a rise that is partly caused by the increase in the cultivated area in the country.