Chicken meat imports in Costa Rica had a growth of 57% in 2012 over the previous year, while beef only grew 46%.
From the report:
In 2012 the country imported $48.3 million worth, an increase of 28% compared to the previous year.
Imports of frozen bovine meat recorded the highest increase in monetary terms, with imports in 2012 having increased by more than $4.4 million compared with the previous year, going from $9.6 million in 2011 to approximately $14 million in 2012.
The country has the conditions to export meat to Europe at the same prices as Brazil, the world's largest producer.
This was stated by Eduardo Cohen, from the Program for Quality Controls and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures in Central America, funded by the European Union.
According to him, once the country has dealt with the issue of traceability, prices could reach $7,000 a ton in the EU, similar to the average of $7,361 paid by the old continent to Brazil. That price would be far from the $13,322 average paid to Argentina, or the $10,020 paid to Uruguay, but above the $2,186 paid by the EU for U.S. beef
They warn that if domestic prices are not adjusted and there is no guarantee to maintain the value of the local currency, they will not sell their cattle to local slaughterhouses.
Alvaro Fiallos, president of the National Union of Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG), is demanding that slaughterhouses adjust the price which has been kept frozen since late May last year at $2.97 per kilo in hot weight, and that they recognize the maintenance of the value of the cordoba.
The entry into force on 19 October of the FTA with Chile will expand opportunities for Nicaraguan products.
Over 97% of the supply of Nicaragua’s exportable products now enters the Chilean market duty free. According to the manager of the Export and Investment Center (CEI in Spanish), Roberto Brenes, in the next few years, exports may be duplicated.
In Nicaragua, much less livestock is being exported that a few years ago, as it is now sold for fattening or directly to exporting slaughterhouses.
In the past 5 years, exports of live cattle have fallen sharply, with 2011 closing at $20.5 million, from a peak of $41 million in 2007.
According to René Blandón, president of the National Livestock Commission (CONAGAN), this is better for the country, because by selling cattle to slaughterhouses and exporting meat, more value is added to the product.
Bringing in beef from Nicaragua would mean savings of between $4 and $8 per pound.
This would stabilize or even lower consumer prices, said Edgar Mendez, president of the Guild of Butchers in Guatemala, provided that the Government allows direct purchase.
"We determined that buying the product from Nicaragua would slow the escalation of prices in the local market", he said.
Panamanian farmers are preparing to send the first 250 animals from a total of 475 steers to Costa Rica, although in a few years they expect to export up to 20,000 animals to the neighboring country.
Starting from May 1st, farmers in Panama will send a weekly shipment of 250 cattle to Costa Rica, which means the recovery of live cattle exports, having been dormant for 3 years, and a relief for local market saturation.
The measure is being considered due to a reduction of 400,000 liters in domestic production.
"We have had reports from artisanal and industrial sectors that there is less milk available in the country and therefore may have to authorize an importation to cover the shortfall in domestic production," stated Agriculture Secretary Jacobo Regalado.
Elheraldo.hn reported that the president of the National Federation of Farmers and Ranchers, Leopoldo Duran, has confirmed that milk production has declined by 400,000 liters.
Central American businessmen agreed to adjudicate the meat quota assigned by the European Union to the country that first complies with the required food safety and traceability requirements.
The region had to decide how to distribute a quota of 9.500 yearly tons of meat that can be shipped to Europe without paying tariffs.
The proposal to divide up the 9,500 ton EU allocation equally is rejected by Nicaragua.
Onel Pérez, president of CANICARNE (Nicaraguan association of beef producers), commented that 70% of meat exported from Central America comes from Nicaragua.
Pérez and Ronald Blandón, director of Nicaraguan cattle farming association, CONAGAN, will travel to Honduras to discuss the distribution of the quota with other Central American businessmen.
Nearly $5 million will be invested in two slaughterhouses which could export pork to the US later this year.
The slaughterhouse at the National School of Agriculture will receive an investment of $800,000 to comply with international health regulations. It will slaughter approximately 100 pigs daily and may start exporting in the last quarter of the year.
Nicaragua will export between $84 and $100 million in milk in 2008, while in 2007 it exported $65 million.
Oscar Aleman, vice president of the Milk Producers' Association, Aproleche, said that the main buyer of milk products, especially cheese, is El Salvador, and hence they need to diversify the market in order to avoid concentration, which sometimes has difficulties not related to tariffs.