Guatemala exports to South Korea and China have increased by 185% and 382%, respectively.
Details from the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport) show that South Korea and China are the two Asian countries with the most products sales from the Central American nation, with honey, sugar and shrimp being the main exports.
" ... Over the past year the value of products shipped to South Korea totaled $151.5 million, while in 2012 $53 million was sold, representing an increase of 185.5 %," said Estuardo Castillo, president of Agexport.
An increase in non- traditional exports offset the fall in foreign sales of traditional products.
According to the report entitled "Trends in Foreign Trade in 2013 in El Salvador" prepared by the Ministry of Economy (Minec) exports in 2013 totaled $5.491 billion, an increase of 2.8 % compared to 2012, when the total figure was $5.339 billion .
$3.908 billion worth of non-traditional products were exported last year, while in 2012 the figure was $3.765 billion. Exports of traditional products were down $42 million, totaling $424.9 million in 2013.
Over 160 thousand tons have been sold, but at lower prices than in the previous harvest.
During the 2012-13 harvest, the sugar industry exported 400 thousand tons of grain, 160 thousand tons more than in the previous one. However, the value of sales did not behave the same as the volume exported, because revenues were between $210 million and $220 million, similar to the amount in the last harvest.
Sugar, coffee, fishmeal, plastics and paper products are the best selling products to the Asian island.
According to the Taiwanese Embassy in El Salvador during the first 11 months of 2013, exports from the Central American nation to Asian countries grew by 576 %. Among the products that are exported to Taiwan are sugar, coffee, fish meal, paper, cardboard, plastics.
Exports in 2012 were $488.7 million, whereas in 2011 sales totaled $158.8 million.
With the signing of the trade agreement between Central America and the European Union figures are expected to increase further. 13.5% of Panamanian exports are destined for a European country and are surpassed only by South Korea and the U.S.
The total value of sales decreased slightly compared to the previous crop due to low prices paid on the international market.
During the first 11 months of the 2012-13 crop 2.4 million quintals of coffee have been exported, compared to 1.9 million quintals in the previous harvest.
These figures were provided by the Center for Export Procedures (CETREX). Revenue however, declined by 0.3%.
During the first six months of 2013 exports of soap totaled $49.2 million compared to the same period in 2012 when the figure was $40 million.
With this background, the soap industry expects to close 2013 with growth higher than the $82.1 million earned from exports in 2012, according to figures from the Central Bank of Honduras (BCH).
"... if the upward trend in the volume of exports is maintained, foreign exchange earnings could range from between $95 and $100 million at the end of this year," noted an article in Elheraldo.hn.
The Exporters Corporation has created a plan to increase exports to $10 billion a year within five years.
Entrepreneurs believe that if the correct measures are applied export earnings could double within five years. According to Pablo Duran, president of the Exporters Association of El Salvador (COEXPORT), the proposal gives potential annual growth of 20%.
During the first six months of 2013 the textile industry sold $1,140 million, $104 million more compared to the same period in 2012.
"The industry has performed well, and that means more jobs in El Salvador," said Doris de Rivera, an economist in charge of the study by the Chamber of Textile, Clothing and Free Zones Companies(CAMTEX).
According to the economist, the maquila subsector grew by 4% with revenues of $424 million, woven fabrics increased 22% with sales of $134 million and garment production rose by 9%.
In late 2012, one year after the signing of the new trade agreement, trade between Mexico and the region totaled $9.3 billion.
This information was released by the Mexican ambassador in San Salvador, Raul Lopez Lira. "On September 1 the Central American countries will celebrate the first anniversary of the unified treaty between Mexico and the region with a significant increase in trade ...", reported Laprensa.com.ni article.
During the first six months of 2013 foreign sales totaled $2.822 billion, $151 million more than in the same period in 2012.
From a press release issued by the Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador:
Total exports to June of this year amounted to $2822.2 million, up $150.6 million compared to the same period in 2012, the growth rate was 5.6% per year, with a gradual recovering its dynamism, informed the Office of Economic Studies and Statistics of the Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador.
During the first six months of 2013 the country received $700 million from exports of sugar.
Sugar sales during the first half gave a big boost to other exports. According to the Bank of Guatemala (Banguat), up to June exports reported a total of $5.298 billion, up 1.6% from the income generated in the same period in 2012 which was $5.215 billion.
According to Armando Boesche, manager of the Sugar Association of Guatemala (Asazgua), the country saw a record harvest and last September and at the beginning of 2013 it was possible to quote a good price for the product on the stock market. "I hope that prices don't drop because different producing countriessuch as Mexico and Brazil have also had plentiful crops," he said.
So far this year 22 million boxes of bananas have been exported and it is expected that this number will increase to 45 million by the end of 2013.
Considering that the U.S. market (the main destination for Honduran bananas) pays $13 per box, this volume represents about $286 million for large companies. Of that amount, approximately $110 million was paid to domestic producers, who sell each box for $5.
So far this year 37 million quintals of sugar have been exported, keeping pace with increasing global demand.
Statistics from the Sugar Association of Guatemala (Asazgua) indicate that the export season ending in October, could close with growth of 10% compared with 2012 sales.
Mario Yarzebski, the person responsible for International Trade Negotiations at Asazgua, revealed that the increase in export volume is due to the effect of supply and demand. "There were favorable weather conditions in the previous harvest which increased yields in the field and factory," he said.
Exports from the region registered a FOB value of U.S. $2.478 billion, an increase of 5.7% compared to the $2.344 billion exported during the same month last year.
The categories of products that contributed to the performance of exports, classified by Chapter of the Central American Tariff System - SAC - which accounted for 59.9% (U.S. $1484.6 billion) of total exports, were: