Due to the potential that Guatemala has and the commercial opportunities that are envisioned for the future, local authorities will begin to take steps so that the fruit harvested in the country is accepted in the U.S., the main importing market for the product.
In order to start with the procedures to approve the phytosanitary controls imposed by U.S. authorities, Guatemala is making an inventory of pests in the crop.
With the technologies available it is possible to use satellite photos to detect types of surfaces and roofs, objects, land use and variance in farmland, and then analyze the results and transform them into useful data for business decision making.
In the past, it was possible to establish whether an area was industrial, commercial, residential or agricultural by analyzing aerial images, but today, with the use of high-resolution satellite images, more information can be obtained.
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).
Due to the new outbreak of flying locusts, farmers in the department of Peten report that the pest has destroyed large areas of corn and bean crops.
Days ago, the International Regional Organization for Agricultural Health (OIRSA) warned that a locust swarm entered Guatemala from the border area with Yucatan, Mexico.
After reports of flying locusts entering Guatemala from the border area with the Yucatan, Mexico, Salvadoran authorities have declared themselves on alert because of the threat they could represent to local crops.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) is prepared to face the threat of a flying locust (Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons) that could cause damage or loss to crops in our territory, details an official statement dated January 12, 2021.
Because of the humidity of the soils, a phenomenon that was caused by the heavy rains generated by the passage of the tropical depressions Eta and Iota, local authorities warn that the crops could be affected by diseases and pests.
According to representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA), crops such as coffee, bananas and vegetables could face the greatest risks.
Since the pest represents a threat and is capable of destroying crops in a very short time, moving large distances in one day, a state of phytosanitary emergency was declared in the country due to a significant increase in the number of flying locusts.
The International Regional Organization for Agricultural Health alerted the region's ministries of agriculture to outbreaks of the devastating Central American locust.
The Central American authorities were informed of the alert in a note issued by the Regional International Organization for Agricultural Health (OIRSA) during the first stage of rains that ended in September.
For agricultural producers, the use of precision biotechnology in Guatemala requires a specialized committee so that the authorities' decisions are based on technical and scientific evidence, and not under the influence of political or ideological interests.
Guatemala already has regulations in this area, since on October 1, 2019, the regulatory framework signed by the Ministry of Economy with its counterparts in El Salvador and Honduras came into effect.
For the 2018-2019 agricultural cycle, the cultivated area in the country was 925,101 hectares, 14% less than the 1.07 million reported for the 2017-2018 cycle.
Data from the National Agricultural Survey (ENA), prepared by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), show that in the last agricultural cycle about 149,000 hectares were not cultivated with corn.
FAO estimates that by the end of 2019 the production of grain in the region will be 29.8 million tons, below the average volume reported in the last five years.
The decline in the volume harvested will be because of the rainfall deficits that this year affected grain crops in most countries, reported the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
In the first nine months of 2019, cardamom exports grew 52% over the same period in 2018, a rise explained by global product shortages and high demand in the Middle East market.
Figures from the Bank of Guatemala state that between January and September 2018, and the same period in 2019, foreign sales of cardamom increased by $132 million, from $253 million to $385 million.
Since October 1, in Guatemala, the Technical Regulation of Biosafety of Living Modified Organisms has been in force, which will allow the importation, commercialization and sowing of modified seeds known as transgenic, for human and animal consumption.
Until now, Guatemala could only import food that was the product of crops with modified seeds. With the entry into force of the regulation, the entry of transgenic seeds for marketing and planting purposes will be authorized.
Last year, the main regional crop sold abroad was coffee, with $2.671 million, followed by banana, with $2.594 million, pineapple, with $1.097 million and sugar, with $722 million.
Data from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralamericaData:
The main coffee export destinations were the U.S., Germany, Belgium, Italy, Japan and Canada, which together represent 70% of the volume exported by the region, equivalent to approximately $2,050 million. [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"]