In 2016 the export of products such as palm oil, cashew butter, brown sugar, cane molasses, liquid egg and beverages generated $1.5 billion, 8% more than in 2015.
From the report by Agexport:
The subsector that recorded the most significant increase in exports was that of edible oils and fats, which generated $438 million in foreign exchange, an increase of 21%, followed by preparations based on cereals, with $202 million and an increase of 4% sauces, condiments and seasonings, with $52 million and an increase of 16%.Exports of cereal flour generated $17 million and were up 16% compared to the previous year.
The fall in international prices coupled with a 50% decline in production explains the negative outlook that beekeepers have for this year, 2016.
Reports state that the international price has fallen by up to 55%, as a metric ton of honey went from trading at between $4,000 and $4,200 in 2015 to a range of $2,000 to $2,400 so far this year, reports Prensalibre.com.
So far in 2015 $9.1 million worth has been exported, a 42% increase in higher than total exports in 2014, when the sales amounted $6.4 million.
Of the total produced, 85% was sold abroad, with only the remaining 15% being consumed locally. So far this year, exports have increased in value and volume, going from 1,964 tons in 2014 to 2330 tons this year, according to the Beekeeping Committee at the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (AGEXPORT).
58% of Canadian families buy organic food at least once a week, making it an attractive market for companies producing these products.
The demand for organic food has grown in recent years both in Europe and in North America, where countries such as Germany, Switzerland, the United States and Canada are buying more and more organic food which is free of pesticides, dyes and other chemicals in order to improve their health.
Manufacturers reported a reduction of 70% compared to the previous harvest season and estimate a drop in exports this year.
AGEXPORT estimates a 40% decrease in the volume of honey projected for the current season.
From a press release issued by the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (AGEXPORT):
The Beekeeping Committee at AGEXPORT has expressed its state of alarm over the current difficulties facing the beekeeping industry nationally, due to a drastic reduction in the volumes of honey which has been harvested to date, compared with the harvest during the last season.
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.
New rules have been established for the regulation of beekeeping that meet the requirements of European Union on honey imports.
Prensalibre.com reports that "The Agreement 169-2012, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA), published yesterday in the Journal of Central America, provides guidelines for creating a Guatemalan Beekeeping registry, issuing operating licenses and health and safety certificates for exports.
The country currently exports coffee, cardamom, macadamia, sesame, honey, lemon and black tea, and other products such as melon, papaya, mango and pineapple are seeking access to international markets.
Producers agree that the sale of crops raised organically generates profits of up to 70% more than those from traditional planting.
"Gaspar Armando, a cooperative farmer in the Mayan Peoples Federation (Fedepma) reported that although the volume of production is less, compared to coffee produced from chemicals, sales can generate higher profits by up 70 percent", reported Prensalibre.com.
Suppliers of organic products reported a rise in sales and improved market conditions.
A statement from the Costa Rican Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) reads:
Sales of organic products in Europe Recover
According to Organic Monitor many suppliers of organic products have reported a rise in sales and improved market conditions, however, this situation is not shared by all European countries.
The French market for organic products grew by 10% in 2011, despite the crisis.
From a press release by Procomer:
Despite the crisis the consumption of organic products in France has increased.
In ten years, the French "bio" market, despite the crisis, has maintained the interest of consumers. The market has grown ten percentage points in 2011 to reach a turnover of around 4 billion euros, while French household consumption has declined by 0.5% on average for 2011, partly due to decreased spending on food, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies in France.
After the European court decision restricting the marketing of honey with residues of transgenic pollen, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food has announced a monitoring plan.
The monitoring plan will begin in January 2012, the results of the report will be presented in April and according to the methodology the work will include 45 samples from apiaries in Solola, Quetzaltenango and San Marcos, 30 more in Escuintla, Retalhuleu and Huehuetenango, 20 from Jutiapa, Sacatepequez and Chimaltenango, and 10 from Petén, Alta and Baja Verapaz, El Progreso, Chiquimula, Jutiapa, Guatemala and Quiche.
Foreign sales from the December 2010 to May 2011 season were 55% lower than in the same period of 2009-2010.
The rainy season has been more intense and widespread and this has been one of the determining factors in the decline in production, said Jorge Ibarra, of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport).
"The rainy season is a critical period for beekeeping activities, during which bees must be helped with feeding and the humidity inside the hive must be controlled to prevent disease", published Siglo21.com.gt, "The advance of intensive agricultural farming has repercussions for this activity, extensive crop cultivation with the use of chemicals endangers the lives of bees and affects the quality of the honey. "
The country sold $5.2 million in 2009, up from $2.9 million in 2008.
85% of the total production is shipped abroad. The main buyers in Europe are the U.K., Germany, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, Italy and France. In America, the top purchasers are the United States, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Honduras.
Carlos Cáceres, head of the Honey Division at Exportadora Internacional Dinámica S.A., explained the increase as a result of a remarkable boost in domestic production and the fact that importing countries are now accepting multiflora honey.
In spite of production dropping considerably, Guatemalan honey is still highly valued around the world.
Currently there are around 2.500 honey growers, gathered in 30 different associations. The industry flourished until the 1970's, when the African bee entered the country, triggering the disappearance of several apiaries.
An article in Lahora.com.gt published statements by apiculture specialist Alejandro Nicol, head of the Honey department at the Food Health area of Maga, the Agriculture Ministry: "80% of the country's honey production is sent abroad (some 2.000 tons), while the remaining 20 per cent is consumed internally".