Lentils from the US, beans from Holland, quinoa from Mexico and chayote from Costa Rica are among the grains and species that can be imported into Panama from now on.
The Panamanian Authority for Food Security has granted permits to import from nine countries grains and species such as flaxseed, chia seeds, and others.
Coffee, textiles, clothing accessories and leather are some of the products that have opportunities for being sold in the European country.
In addition to traditional products such as coffee, textiles, leather and accessories, representatives of the Franco-Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce identified opportunities in the French market for other non-traditional export products such as chia.In 2015 the country exported $32 million worth to the European country and imported goods worth $110 million, according to central bank figures.
Spanish investors have announced an interest in local production of 1200 hectares of avocado, 800 of mangos, 300 of papaya, and 1,500 of organic coffee.
The Agribusiness director at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in Honduras, Francisco Herrera, confirmed to Laprensa.hn that a group of Spanish investors requested a letter of intent from the Government of Honduras to find local partners linked to the production of mangos, papaya, chilla and avocado.
The promising future and the high prices predicted in 2012 for the production and export of the seed have failed to materialize, and the amount of land cultivated continues to shrink.
Global overproduction of chia seeds that started in 2013 when international prices started to rise and a lot of people identified a business opportunity in production and marketing, was one of the main factors explaining the drop in price and the resulting disincentive for this business.
Companies participating in the SIAL show in Paris made purchase offer deals worth more than $1 million and generated new markets in Europe and South America for products such as chia, crackers and organic cocoa.
The event was attended by a delegation of 12 member from companies in the Association of Producers and Exporters of Nicaragua (APEN), and succeeded in opening new markets for non-traditional products and increase their knowledge of the European market for future business deals.
The fall in international prices and overproduction is negatively impacting sales of the seed harvested in Nicaragua.
In the U.S. market a quintal of chia is trading at $170 whereas it previously traded for $280. During the 2013-2014 cycle Nicaraguan growers harvested about 180,000 quintals, however, much of this crop had no advance purchase contracts and contractual undertakings from exporters are full.
Work is being done on producing better chia seeds in the country in order to meet the demands of international buyers.
Despite being one of the fastest growing crops in Nicaragua, the current shortage of chia seeds could hinder production. For this reason, the Association of Producers and Exporters of Nicaragua (APEN) is working on the production of a new seed that meets the demands of international buyers.
With an investment of $9 million a new plant will be installed to process the seed that has become fashionable among investors and small producers.
The production of chia in Nicaragua has taken a new turn, as the company Acustica (CAC Trading) (dedicated to the purchase and sale of grain or commodities at regional level) will install a processing plant for the seed, which will involve an investment of $9 million and will be opened in Jinotega in 2014.
Operating Company dedicated to the manufacture of gluten-free and sugar-free products, OHNE brand. The OHNE brand has 8 product lines: square bread, sweet...