If quarantine and mobility restriction measures are extended by two months, it is expected that by the end of the year the annualized demand for industrial wood products in Central America will have fallen by 10%.
The "Information System for the Impact Analysis of Covid-19 on Business", prepared by the Trade Intelligence Area of CentralAmericaData, measures the degree of impact that the crisis will have on companies according to their sector or economic activity, considering different scenarios for the coming months.
Comercializadora S y G Internacional, Smart Office and Easy Office Inc. are three of the companies that have won the most important contracts to provide furniture and wooden items to public institutions in Central America.
A study carried out by CentralAmericaData's Trade Intelligence Unit analyzes the furniture supply companies that were favored with contracts to provide furniture and wood products to the governments of Central American countries.
In the first six months of 2019, $139 million in wood and wood products were exported from Central America, and 54% of them were sold by companies in Costa Rica and Panama.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics"]
Because wood is being demanded for different types of use, opportunities have been identified to design and manufacture several differentiated products with high marketing potential.
According to Guatemalan businessmen in the sector, wood is no longer being used only for the manufacture of furniture or decoration of residences, but is also being demanded in corporate spaces such as offices and work environments, and in places such as retail stores, restaurants, hotels and hospitals.
In the first nine months of 2018, $206 million in wood and wood products were exported from Central America, and 52% were sold by companies in Costa Rica and Panama.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics]
In the first six months of 2018, exports of timber and wood products from the region totaled $156 million, 3% more than the same period in 2017, partly because of sales to India.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
Coffee is still the main agricultural product sold abroad, with annual exports of around $3,035 million, followed by bananas, with $2,574 million and sugar, with $1,241 million.
Figures from the interactive platform "Central American Crops Monitoring" compiled by CentralAmericaData's Business Intelligence Unit:
From July 30 to August 1, a business meeting will take place between business leaders in the region and Chilean companies from the forestry, agriculture, manufacturing and seafood sectors.
From a press release by ProChile:
The event will be held in Guatemala City, between July 30 and August 1, and will bring together about 120 buyers from all over the region.In total, there will be 60 places for Chilean entrepreneurs in the forestry and agricultural sector, industry-manufactures and seafood.
On June 6 and 7, wood producers and exporters will be meeting in Antigua, Guatemala, to explore business opportunities with international buyers.
The Living Interior Furniture Expo (L.I.F.E.) is being organized by the Guatemalan Exporters' Guild, and will be held in Santo Domingo Del Cerro, in Antigua Guatemala.
In 2016, Central American countries exported $223 million worth of wood and its manufactures, and the value exported to India grew by 20% compared to 2015.
Figures from the information system on the Central American Market for Wood and its Manufactures, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption = "Click to interact with the chart"]
Furniture and household articles, pellets and laminated wood are among the products with the highest demand in the global wood market.
From the executive summary of a study by Procomer entitled "World lumber market and trends for value-added products":
Goods that incorporate a higher level of manufacturing are those that show the highest levels of growth in world imports, or other products that are less processed but which participate in sectors which are of value per se (sustainable construction).
The meeting in Guatemala will focus on various manufacturing segments, cosmetics, plastics, wood and food and beverages.
The 8th. edition of MANUFEXPORT Retail Supply will be held from on Septemberg 7th-8th 2016 in Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua Guatemala.
From a statement issued by Agexport:
The export manufacturing industry is a highly dynamic and innovative sector and every year implements new strategies and business models to potentiate its exports, which represent 30% of Guatemala's total exports and which generate about 200 thousand jobs. One of the goals set for this year, 2016, is to surpass by 6% the $3.585 million already exported, according to the Bank of Guatemala, from January to November 2015.
Entrepreneurs from Chile and Central America will be gathering together in San Jose from November 5th to 7th to explore business opportunities in the wood sector.
The event entitled 'Business Meeting on Forestry and Timber in Central American and the Caribbean' is being organized by the Trade Commission of Chile in Costa Rica (ProChile) and is expected to draw more than 20 entrepreneurs and exporters with the aim of striking deals with Central American countries.