Betting on the latest technology projects, agriculture 4.0 and seeking alternative products derived from sugarcane so as not to depend on international prices, are some of the lines of action on which the Guatemalan sugar sector will focus in the coming years.
Although sugar prices in the international market have improved between October 2020 and April 2021, in previous years there was a downward trend that pressured mills to explore new market opportunities for sugarcane-derived products.
In this new commercial reality, market opportunities are identified for hygiene and personal care items that are manufactured with natural ingredients and produced with environmentally friendly materials.
Products that provide relief to the skin, given the consequences caused by Covid-19 from constant hand washing and mask use, are other items that consumers value today.
Analyzing the offerings of a supermarket, department store or convenience store and examining what type of consumers frequent those establishments is key to establishing which chains a company's products should be present in to increase their profitability.
By analyzing large volumes of data, it is possible to combine information on the products that commercial establishments sell with details of the types of consumers that are attracted to the different chains.
In Costa Rica, of the total number of exporters whose majority of shipments are in the metal-mechanics, electrical and electronics or plastics sectors, 25% meet a profile of potential participation in global value chains.
An analysis prepared by the Foreign Trade Promotion Agency of Costa Rica (Procomer) explains that "... the 3 sectors agree in selling their products to at least 6 main GVCs: construction (25% of companies), agriculture (23%) trade (20%), food (11%), electronic components and telecommunications (10%) and medical industry (9%)."
The time and cost of maritime routes between Costa Rica and China, and the capacity that the food industry develops to take advantage of existing opportunities, are factors that in the coming years will influence the evolution of the FTA signed between the two countries.
Ten years after the entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement between China and Costa Rica, Costa Rican authorities assure that they are in a continuous negotiation process involving the National Animal Health Service (Senasa) and the State Phytosanitary Service (SFE).
Because in this context of health crisis consumers take more care of their food, companies in the Costa Rican market dedicated to the production and marketing of organic food have managed to take advantage of the business opportunities that have arisen.
Analyses carried out at a global level, agree that driven by the search for benefits for their health and immune system, in the current context of changing habits, consumers are beginning to prefer fresh foods more than packaged or processed ones.
Peru demonstrates that through specific actions it is possible to turn a country's gastronomy into an engine of development, a situation that generates opportunities to export a wide and diversified offer of food products.
The international positioning of Peru's gastronomic industry is the result of more than three decades of public/private actions aimed at turning gastronomy into an engine of development, driven by civil society.
From March 1 to 5, 2021, the Colon Free Zone will hold its first multisector virtual trade fair, in which 200 exhibitors will participate and participants will be able to access product catalogs and receive direct attention from suppliers.
The trade fair will feature a wide variety of mass consumption products, regional distribution logistics services and value-added products, informed the Colon Free Zone (CFZ).
Typical frozen foods, traditional beverages from the countries of origin and vacuum-packed fresh vegetables are some of the products that have sales growth potential in U.S. supermarket chains.
There are many opportunities for companies in the region, since it is estimated that two out of every three products placed on the shelves of U.S. supermarkets are of Latin American origin.
During 2020, total sales of cleaning chemical products in the Salvadoran market reached $143 million, 13% more than what was reported in 2019, with Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Mexico being the main suppliers of local companies.
institutional channel, which have shown an average annual growth of 5% in the last five years, according to a study by the Foreign Trade Promoter of Costa Rica (Procomer).
Thailand and Spain are markets with global potential to increase their consumption of frozen tuna, and in the case of fresh or refrigerated tuna fillets, the United States is expected to increase its demand in the coming years.
As new lifestyles in Europe are increasing the need for easy-to-use/prepare and value-added fish formats as consumers find it difficult to cook and prepare fish, tuna has multiple opportunities in the present and future.
The competitive advantage of low costs of Central American companies and the possibility of making strategic alliances in Mexico and the U.S., are some of the opportunities that architectural services companies could take advantage of.
For the internationalization of this type of service, companies in the sector recognize some challenges and barriers such as the lack of information on internationalization of services, lack of knowledge on how to reach international clients, differences in design codes and applicable laws, and regulatory difficulties to internationalize plans, highlights an analysis prepared by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (Procomer).
Because Mexico is the third largest Latin American country in terms of area devoted to organic agricultural production, there are multiple opportunities to market inputs for this sector.
In terms of the number of hectares planted with organic crops, Michoacan, Chiapas and Oaxaca are the states that have 68% of the total planted nationally, according to an analysis prepared by Costa Rica's Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer).
Whether as a fresh or dry product, there are multiple trading opportunities in markets such as the US, UK, Germany and Japan, which are the main importers of this plant globally.
When sold as a food ingredient, raw material or cosmetic, in the medium and long term there are greater opportunities for internationalization to greater added value can be given to the product, highlights a report prepared by the Promotora de Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica (Procomer).
From November 25 to December 4, 2020, the "China-Central America and South Pacific International Trade Digital Exhibition" will be held, a virtual event in which more than 600 Chinese companies will exhibit their products to companies in the region.
Construction materials, hardware, light industrial products, machinery, vehicles, communication equipment, electronic products, household appliances and daily consumer goods are some of the types of products that will be presented by Asian companies.