Nicaragua and Honduras are allowed to sell 65,000 more metric tons duty-free to the European Union.
The country has given approval for both Nicaragua and Honduras to receive this benefit temporarily, until the trade agreement becomes effective for Guatemala. "The Council of Ministers of Economy and Trade for Central America (Comieco) gave authorization this weekend for each country in the region to be able to make available its quotas at will" reported Nicaraguahoy.info.
The European Union will not mediate in the distribution between the Central American countries of the sugar quota of 60,000 tonnes allocated to the region.
"The European Union will only check the total regional quota has been reached and will not intervene in how it is distributed among the five Central American countries. The distribution and quota management is an internal matter for the Central American region," said Klara Klanska, commercial counselor of the EU to Central America.
Nicaragua and Honduras want to regionalize the EU quota, to be able to offer 53,000 tons of sugar.
Producers want the export quotas that the sugar growers in Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala were not able to meet, as in those countries the Association Agreement is not yet in force, said Mario Amador Rivas, general manager of the National Committee of Sugar Producers (CNPA).
The Economy Ministry made a formal request before Comieco, the Council of Central American Ministers.
Guatemala requires between 50 and 100 thousand metric tons over the next months to cover its domestic demand.
Newspaper El Periódico reports: “Comieco agreed to review the request and will consult with its member countries. … It requested data on Guatemala’s previous sugar imports”.
From the 11th to the 13th of February, advancement will be pursued regarding the integration of customs and the duties for bananas and sugar, issues still pending in the negotiations with the EU.
PrensaLibre.com publishes in its website: "The Vice President and Panamanian Chancellor, Samuel Lewis Navarre, declared that there still is not a concrete date scheduled for the next round that Central America and the EU will coordinate in an attempt to achieve progress in negotiations and to conclude the talks next May, as they have had anticipated."