Between 2017 and 2018, milk sales from Costa Rica to Panama fell 24%, explained by increased competition, while exports to Guatemala and the Dominican Republic increased 21% and 13%, respectively.
According to figures from the Promotora del Comercio Exterior (Procomer), between 2017 and 2018 sales to Panama of milk and cream not concentrated and concentrated registered a 24% decline, falling from $7.5 million to $5.6 million.
On June 27, business leaders from the region will present their proposals to the presidents for improving and eliminating barriers to intraregional trade.
In the meeting with the presidents from the region scheduled for June 27 in the Dominican Republic, guilds that make up the Federation of Private Entities of Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic (FEDEPRICAP), will describe once again the obstacles that currently limit the competitiveness of Central American companies.
Governments in the region should accelerate and make concrete a real customs union that decisively contributes to economic development by facilitating trade in goods and services as well as flows of capital.
While Central American government officials in regional authorities speak of integration, in reality central governments are doing little or nothing to achieve it, when not they are not in the process of obstructing it.
The World Bank funds will be implemented through the program "Trade Facilitation and Regional Integration."
The technical assistance program to be developed in two years, aims to support regional efforts to facilitate trade and free movement of goods. The funds will be implemented in coordination with the Central American Economic Integration Secretary (SIECA).
Of the total exports by the region, 29% goes to the countries that comprise it, reaching $6.403 billion at the end of 2008.
This figure is slightly above the average of 27.7% observed over the past five years.
The major exporters within the region are Guatemala, which has concentrated at least 33% of the average for the past four years, followed by El Salvador with 24%, Costa Rica with 23% and Honduras and Nicaragua added 20%.
With an increase of 16% annually over the past five years, trade between the countries of Central America is the real force behind regional integration.
Despite the comings and goings with which governments have handled the process of integration, intra-regional trade continually progresses. In recent years, the numbers in the exchange of goods and services between the countries of the region have doubled, surpassing $6.3 billion per year.
In seeking to mitigate the effects of the crisis, the trade of goods is redirected, which means opportunities for logistics operators.
Many Latin American companies are reacting to the global economic crisis by looking for markets that are geographically closer than the normal markets in Asia and Europe where demand has fallen drastically.
This requires changes in logistics, which specialized operators are willing to undertake in order to capture the increasing demand for regional freight services and transport.
Abraham Lowenthall rediscovered the isthmus 25 ago and analyzes the changes that have occurred during that period.
In his column published in America Economia, the analyst asks us to "Imagine that your twin brother will wake up today from a 25 year coma and asks you for a report on the main changes that have occurred in Central America, what will you tell him?
The airline announced that it is added 3 flights via Asuncion to the 4 direct flights to Peru, now connecting Montevideo with Lima everyday during the week.
"TACA already flies daily to the Uruguayan capital from Lima and back, providing a flow of commercial and tourism exchange between both countries. The market has been growing significantly and sustainably due to the facility and opportunity that has been provided to business and tourist passengers, who previously did not have access to fly directly to Uruguay. And regarding passengers traveling from Montevideo to Lima, they now have the option of using several routes via TACA's hub in PERU with links throughout the region and the Americas," Nani Garrues, Sales Director at TACA South America, pointed out.