After the sanitary protocol to sell meat to China came into effect and the industrial plants in Costa Rica were certified, the Central American country's sales to the Asian giant doubled between 2018 and 2019.
Figures from the Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer) show that in 2018 beef sales to China reached $22 million, while in 2019 they doubled to $57 million.
The absence of toxic waste laboratories in the processing plants is one of the obstacles that are preventing Panamanian meat from entering the Costa Rican market.
Representatives of the Panamanian Exporters Association (Apex) explained that Costa Rican regulations require at least 14 toxic waste tests and Panamanian laboratories perform only 8.
The Panamanian government's decision to raise the tariff on meat imported from Nicaragua from 3% to 30% to allow local producers to compete has so far shown no clear results.
In September 2018, the Panamanian government decided to establish barriers to the entry of Nicaraguan beef by raising the import tariff from 3% to 30%. This has not had the expected effects, as the prices paid to local producers have not risen.
Representatives of the trade union announced that the country will receive the "insignificant risk" certificate next May, which will allow it to reach new markets and export cuts of bovine meat on the bone.
Local authorities reported that in relation to bovine spongiform encephalopathy disease, better known as "mad cows disease", the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) will grant the country the status of "negligible risk", which is necessary to sell abroad cuts of bovine meat on the bone.
In the last five years annual per capita consumption of pork in the countries of the region increased from 4.6 kilos in 2012 to 5.3 kilos in 2016, and growth was driven mainly by Panama and Costa Rica.
Between 2012 and 2016 regional pork consumption has maintained an upward trend, growing from 205 thousand tons in 2012 to 249 thousand tons in 2016, which is an increase of 21%.
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.
In 2016 total imports of beef added up to $44 million, of which 37% was imported by Pecuaria Exportadora, Pricesmart and Preparación Conmutativa de Alimentos.
Figures from the information system on the Fresh, Refrigerated and Frozen Beef Market in Guatemala, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAPHIC caption = "Click to interact with the graph"]
It has been announced that Agroindustrias del Corral has received certification to market beef in the US market starting from next semester.
From a statement issued by from Coalianza:
The United States Department of Agriculture has given the green light to the meat processor Agroindustrias del Corral to export beef to its market, reported the Ministry of Economic Development (SDE) today.
The Hernandez administration has announced that the processing plant C & D will start operating again from this month.
From a statement issued by Coalianza:
The reopening of the C&D meat processing plant, located in the town of Catacamas, Olancho, will take place later this week, President Juan Orlando Hernández announced today.
This year the union of beef exporters expects to sell abroad 113,000 tons of beef and offal products.
Directors of the Nicaraguan chamber of beef exporting plants estimate that sales this year will generate $480 million in revenue.They also announced they will be working on the implementation of improvements that will allow them to increase the value added of the final product, in order to enter more demanding markets, such as Europe.
In Nicaragua industrialists are preparing to defend against the denouncement by farmers over discrepancies between the prices paid by local abattoirs and international prices.
Purchase of equipment for quality testing and adjustments in health checks are part of the plan that Panama will implement in order to start exporting meat.
The Ministry of Agricultural Development's plan involves changes to the health system, incorporating new technology for quality controls.The aim is to deliver, in mid-2017, the equivalency questionnaire to the Food Safety Inspection Services at the US Department of Agriculture.
It is estimated that in 2017 imports of meat and meat products from China will continue at high rates, due to lower levels of local production.
From a publication by Eurocarne:
The Department of Agriculture has drawn up one of its reports on forecasts for production and trade of meat and meat products in Japan.As indicated, in Japan there is still a reduction in the livestock censuses in the absence of generational change.Consumption also remains very stable.In light of this situation, the USDA estimates that in 2017 the situation seen in 2016 will will be repeated, that is to say there will be very high levels of imports.
Entrepreneurs in the sector have asked for the opening up of a new export quota of 36 thousand tons per year, in addition to the quota of 15,500 tonnes established in the CAFTA-DR.
To minimize the effect felt by that the entry of meat from Brazil to the US under the quota for "Other countries", within which Nicaragua currently exports, entrepreneurs in the meat sector have asked the US government for the ability to increase sales through an additional quota, of a total of 36 thousand tons a year.
Concerns have arisen over a recent agreement signed between the US and Brazil, in which the South American country is allocated a significant quota from the same segment that Nicaragua supplies.
The new quota for imports of fresh beef from Brazil is considered to be in the same category as the quota that corresponds to Nicaragua, called "Other countries".Nicaraguan exporters fear that the quota, amounting to 65 thousand tons per year, will be filled by Brazil leaving no space for sales of meat from Nicaragua and other countries also included in this segment.