With the entry into force seven years ago of the Free Trade Agreement with U.S., Nicaragua's exports to the country have increased by 133%.
The country has become more attractive to investors, it sectors have become technical and Nicaraguan small and medium enterprises have managed to benefit from technical assistance programs.
The products that have been favored the most by the FTA signed by Central America and the Dominican Republic are green coffee, meat, seafood, sugar, textiles and cheese.
Increasing trade between Peru and Nicaragua is one of the objectives proposed by the embassy in the Central American nation. The expectation is to exceed the figures of 2012 and find alternatives for shipping products.
The newspaper La Prensa cites Carlos Posada, vice minister of foreign trade of Peru who informed the media in his country of the start of talks to strengthen the exchange of goods.
The Brazilian coffee crop, which could amount to more than 50 million quintals of grain, could put prices back down again.
Faced with the prospect of a bumper crop of coffee in Brazil, Raul Amador Torres, a senior market analyst says, "The international price of coffee has improved a little and might be quoted at $190 per quintal, however, the trend is that it will go down again ... "
Exports have performed very well in recent years, partly thanks to 11 trade agreements, but they are far from reaching their full potential and production of many goods lacks added value.
Nicaragua should not only increase the volume of its exports, but it should also diversify its range.
"The export matrix tells us that we are growing poorly. There is no point keeping on signing trade agreements if we do not have anything to sell.
A total of 17 Nicaraguan entrepreneurs and producers will take part in a trade mission to visit the Andean country from 16th to 19th April.
Beef, cigars, handicrafts, and organic products such as roselle and honey have "great potential to break into the Chilean market," said Roberto Brenes, general manager of the Export and Investment Center (CEI).
Products such as cocoa, honey, coffee and fresh fruit will be exported by some 14 small and medium enterprises in Nicaragua with the assistance of a Dutch program that announced a second opening for new candidates.
This group of companies has benefited from the Export Coaching Programme funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
These SMEs will be able to improve the quality of their products and offer them in the European market, said LaPrensa.com.ni.
The Promotion of Sustainable Exports Unit will train Honduran and Nicaraguan producers in an organic certification process.
The new center will benefit more than 3,000 Honduran and Nicaraguan producers from 20 cooperatives.
Roberto Brenes General Manager of the Export and Investment Center (CEI) of Nicaragua, said the new body (inaugurated by the CIS and the Ecomercados organization), "will manage access for the cooperatives to a market of 160 countries that negotiate annually for organic products to a value of $60,000 million.
Dairy, crafts and industrial products are some of the goods that will be exported to the Caribbean country.
Nicaraguan Business representatives traveled to Belize and managed to close business deals for about $300 thousand, according to the Export and Investment Center (CEI).
Although the figure is low when compared with Nicaraguan exports made to other countries, it represents a significant increase compared to what is usually sold to Belize.
So far 2011, Canada is the second largest trading partner, with a total of $ 55 million in exports from January to March.
During the same period of 2010, the amount of sales to that country amounted to $ 16.8 million.
Despite improvement in exports, María José Guerrero, executive at the Center for Exports and Investment said it is necessary to increase the number of exportable products in order to increase sales.
Next year, the Center for export aims to open non traditional markets such as China and Russia.
Roberto Brenes, general manager of the Center for Exports and Investment in Nicaragua, in his final report for 2010, noted that an increase in exports is expected for 2011, as external markets recover.
"According to Brenes, although access and positioning in new markets is a slow process, Nicaraguan products are in greater demand.
Toluca Valley entrepreneurs are in the country exploring possible partnerships and investment projects.
The twenty members of the National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Canaco-SERVYTUR) of the Toluca Valley, Mexico, is part of the Program of Private Sector Investment (PSI), launched by the Netherlands in conjunction with the Center for Exports and Investments (CEI).
Fruit and vegetable exports were $4.5 million in 2007, but this year they were only $1.9 million.
Roberto Brenes, Executive Director of CEI, said that the institution will offer farmers mechanism and tools that will allow them to have need knowledge in order to enter the European Market.
The official added that in 2007 Nicaragua exported $180 million in various products to Europe, and that so far this year the figure is at $151 million.
The Export and Investment Center (CEI) expects that the country's exports at the end of the current year will reach a total value of $1.5 billion.
Robert Brenes, General Manager of CEI, says that in reality, during the first six months of the year, there was an increase of 30% in exports in relation the same period in 2007, especially in exports to the United States, which is Nicaragua's main trading partner.