Of the major producers in the region, Nicaragua was the most affected, having exported 64% less in the first four months of the harvest.
Except for Brazil coffee exports from nine countries in Latin America fell by 8% during the first four months of the harvest which began in October compared with the same period of the previous cycle. Nicaragua was the most affected with a fall of 64 % in sales of the grain.
Exports totaled $7.676 billion in the first quarter of 2013, a decrease of 3.3% compared to exports in the same period last year.
From the executive summary of the report entitled "Central American Foreign Trade Bulletin January-March 2013" by SIECA:
Exports from the region reached an FOB value of U.S. $7.6757 billion during January to March 2013, observing a negative annual growth of 3.3% over exports recorded in the same period last year (U.S. $ 7.9366 billion).
The financial crisis affecting Europe has resulted in low prices for melons and watermelons.
So says Alexis Bravo, president of the Nontraditional Agribusiness Group in Panama (Grantap), at the end of the XX International Congress of Producers and Exporters of Melons and Watermelons, held in Panama.
"... The European market prospects remain good, but ...
The sum of exports from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Peru was lower by 2.28% compared to the same period in the previous harvest.
From the National Coffee Association (Anacafe):
The Guatemalan Anacafé outlined in a statement that their exports of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Colombia and Peru totaled 20,709,455 bags of 60 kilos from October 2011 to last June .
The amount of mangoes sold in Germany in the first three months of 2012 compared with the same period in the previous two years, fell by more than half.
A statement from PROCOMER reads:
Mango sales have collapsed in Germany. The amount of mangoes sold in Germany in the first three months of 2012 compared to the same period in the previous two years fell by more than half, according to the German Association Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI).
Honduras was the worst-hit (-26.15%), while Nicaragua the least (-16.06%).
Data from Sieca shows that Central America exported 10% less to the rest of the world in 2009 than in 2008. Imports fell even more, 24.3% when compared to 2008.
In El Salvador, trade with the rest of the world contracted 20.18%, in Costa Rica 18.9% and in Guatemala 17.99%.
From January up to September, trade between Central American countries summed $8.01 billion, 16.8% less than the same period of 2008.
According to data from Sieca, the Central American Economic Integration Secretary, intra-regional trade summed $9.63 billion between January and September 2008.
"Luis Godoy, executive director of the Guatemalan Exporters Association, attributed the reduction to the U.S.
In 2009, Mexican exports to Central America dropped 30%.
José Tajonar, director of Trade Point Mexico, commented that despite the difficult situation, "in times of crisis we can find potential business niches to develop, which can provide good returns once the economy recovers".
Tajonar explained that Mexican exports to Central America fared a little better than those to the U.S., "which dropped 40%".
For the first half of the year, regional exports dropped 13.5% while imports diminished 28.9%.
From January to June 2009, the region exported $1.54 billion, 13.5% less than the same period of 2008, and it imported $6.84 billion, 28.9% less than in 2008.
While trade between countries of the region didn't drop, it slowed down, going from growth rates of 25.2% to 16%.
From January to May 2009, $1.736 were exported and imported within the region, down from the $2.196 million registered in the same period of 2009.
The global economic crisis was the main reason behind the fall in regional trade, as imports and exports to the rest of the world also decreased, with drops of 30% and 15% respectively.
"The drop in trade was one justification used by ministers from Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, when opposing sanctions to Honduras", published Nacion.com. "The ministers warned that political sanctions, such as isolation, will only impact commerce, job generation and areas affecting all five countries".
Exports by the textile and manufacturing sector have been in the reporting in the red for the last four years in Guatemala.
Based on business reports from the sector, the main reasons is the incursion of China in the world market for these products since 2005, and the economic crisis that is affecting the United States.
Central Bank figures show that last year that had an increase in the external sale of clothing was 2004.