Because the level of rainfall forecast for the winter is expected to favor livestock activity, entrepreneurs in the sector expect local production of meat and milk to grow during 2021.
Experts predict that this year's winter conditions will lead to an increase in green pasture for cattle. This factor will boost milk and meat production.
After the Nicaraguan Assembly approved a bill that forces local banks to allow public officials sanctioned by OFAC to have an account, there are fears that the country will be isolated from the international financial system.
A statement issued by the National Assembly on February 3 explains that the deputies approved the Law Initiative of Reform and Addition to the Law for the Protection of the Rights of Consumers and Users, a legislative project which guarantees a better and greater protection of the rights of consumers and users in the access to goods and services as a human right recognized by the Nicaraguan State.
Over two years have passed since criminal groups invaded productive land in Nicaragua, and although there have been promises to restore the rights of the owners, up to date 29 properties remain taken.
In the context of the political and social crisis that erupted in the country in 2018, at the end of June of that year it was reported that at least ten private properties in Rivas, Matagalpa, Chinandega and Managua had been taken over by criminals.
In Nicaragua, businessmen claim that since June last year, 28 properties in different parts of the country are still taken by groups of people related to the Ortega regime.
According to the Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua (Upanic), the 28 properties located in seven departments of the country, together represent 4,615 manzanas.
At the end of March this year Ortega's regime committed to the Civic Alliance to re-establish property rights, and although some favorable results were reported for the owners, these have not been enough.
Because of the scarcity of rain in the region known as the Dry Corridor, producers in the country estimate that in the first cycle of the year has lost about 30% of corn crops and 35% of beans.
Directors of the Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua (Upanic) explained that for the so-called "first production", Estelí lost 50% of the bean crop, and in Nueva Segovia fell between 40% and 50%.
The Nicaraguan government seeks to deprive the business sector of the power to propose its representatives to the National Commission for the Transformation and Development of Coffee Farming.
President Daniel Ortega presented an initiative to the National Assembly to modify the Law for the Transformation and Development of Coffee Farming, which among the changes includes that the Members of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (Cosep) do not have the power to propose their representatives to the National Commission for the Transformation and Development of Coffee Farming (Conatradec).
In Nicaragua, there is uncertainty because the government is reviewing the tax reform without the participation of businessmen, and because adjustments to the minimum wage could be made in September.
Weeks ago, it was reported that when the government's review of the tax reform in force in the country since February is completed, businessmen consider that no tax cuts will be made, despite the fact that production costs in the country have risen considerably.
The Nicaraguan government projects for the 2019-2020 agricultural cycle the planting of 1.5 million hectares of land, 3% more than in the previous period, a very unbelievable forecast for businessmen.
The 2019-2020 Production, Consumption and Commerce Plan, which was prepared by the government without the support of the private sector, explains that it is projected to plant 1.5 million hectares and harvest 1.4 million hectares, which would represent a 3.1% increase compared to the previous cycle.
The recent fiscal reform, changes in social charges in Nicaragua and low international prices are affecting the competitiveness of the sector.
At the end of February 2019, in the midst of the country's political and economic crisis, the National Assembly approved a tax reform that increases the income tax of large taxpayers from 1% to 3%.
The twenty-five productive properties that have been invaded since the crisis began in Nicaragua together make up more than 28 million square meters of land, of which 43% correspond to areas used for agricultural crops and another 44% to livestock production.
According to data from the Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua (Upanic), 33% of the affected properties have an area greater than 100 manzanas, 23% are land measuring between 50 to 99 manzanas and 46% have an area of less than 50 manzanas.
In Nicaragua, entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector have reiterated the benefits that this technology brings in terms of competitiveness, and insist on clear rules for their use.
Fumigating at lower costs and improving surveillance of planted areas are some of the benefits that drones provide for agricultural activities. An example of this is the data provided by the Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua (Upanic), whose representatives say that with a drone, the cost of spraying a manzana (7,042.25 m2 = 1.74 acres) of crops is 20 cents, well below the $3 it costs using traditional methods.
A group of private companies led by agricultural entrepreneurs is preparing a bill that regulates the use of drones for economic activities.
Representatives of the Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua (UPANIC), which leads the group of business chambers that have prepared the proposal, explained that as part of the process they reviewed the regulation on drones that exists in other Central American countries, to "...
In order to take advantage of the potential of the Nicaraguan livestock industry, it is essential that traceability systems be improved, a prerequisite for entering demanding markets such as Europe.
The growth in exports of meat and meat products from Nicaragua could be even greater if product monitoring and control systems were properly implemented throughout the production chain.The European market is one of the most demanding in this regard, and is one of the most profitable once the necessary traceability systems are implemented.
The opening of three processing plants for beans, plantains, cassava and avocado, in León, Rivas and Nueva Guinea is expected for 2018, with an estimated investment of $8 million.
Representatives from the Union of Agricultural Producers in Nicaragua (Upanic) detailed that the plant to be constructed in Leon will be dedicated to the processing of green and ripe plantains, and those from New Guinea to processing roots and tubers.
The agricultural and livestock guild plans to close the 2017/18 cycle with growth close to 5.5%, which is due to better yields and a rebound in international prices of the main export products.
Companies in the agricultural sector expect better results to be achieved in the next agricultural cycle than in the previous one, which was affected, among other things, by the low international prices of products such as sugar cane, sorghum and peanuts. For the 2017/2018 cycle, better prices are expected in the international market along with growth in production.