Because the level of rainfall forecast for the winter is expected to favor livestock activity, entrepreneurs in the sector expect local production of meat and milk to grow during 2021.
Experts predict that this year's winter conditions will lead to an increase in green pasture for cattle. This factor will boost milk and meat production.
In recent years, Nicaraguan beef exports have been on the rise due to the improved quality of the product, but foreign sales of live cattle have been declining due to the deterioration of trade relations with Venezuela.
Official figures specify that between 2019 and 2020 Nicaraguan beef exports increased by 4%, going from $522 million to $542 million.
In Nicaragua, from January to July of this year, exports of livestock products totaled $449 million, 16% more than reported for the same period in 2019, mainly due to increased sales of beef.
Figures from the Export Processing Center (Cetrex) indicate that between January and July 2019 and the same period this year, foreign sales of livestock products increased from $388 million to $449 million.
In Guatemala, for the months when the quarantine was most severe, sales of live cattle were cut in half due to movement restrictions, lack of transportation, and market closures.
Due to the covid-19 outbreak, authorities agreed to impose severe restrictions on the circulation of people during April, May, June, and July, including total closures of the economy during several weekends.
During the first quarter of the year in Costa Rica 99,662 cattle were slaughtered, 4% more than reported in the same period in 2019, which is largely explained by shipments to the market in China.
Although the spread of covid-19 has negatively impacted most economic sectors worldwide, data from the Livestock Corporation (Corfoga) detail that between January and March 2019 and the same period of 2020, the number of cattle slaughtered increased by 3981, from 95681 to 99662.
Between the first two months of 2019 and the same period in 2020, the number of pigs slaughtered in Panama increased by only 1%, while cattle slaughtering grew by 3%.
The General Comptroller's Office of the Republic of Panama reported that 80,841 heads of pigs were slaughtered in the first two months of the year, a figure higher than the 80,067 reported in the same period of 2019.
In the last five years, beef consumption in Central America increased 4%, from 335,000 tons in 2014 to about 347,000 tons in 2019, growth that was boosted by the Salvadoran and Honduran markets.
Figures from the "Beef Market Snapshot" prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, detail that in the last two years’ regional consumption of beef registered a slight increase, since between 2018 and 2019 it is estimated that demand in Central America rose from 341 thousand metric tons to 347 thousand tons.
At the end of last year, the number of cattle in Panama reached 1.49 million, 3.8% less than in 2018.
The General Comptroller of the Republic reported that between 2018 and 2019 the number of cattle decreased by 59,700, from 1,556,900 to 1,497,200, a decrease that is largely explained by the fall recorded in the province of Veraguas.
The report states that in the province of Veraguas the herd fell by 8%, from 252,400 to 232,100.
After the first case of paralytic rabies in cattle was confirmed in Coto Brus, the authorities decided to quarantine the farm that houses 110 cattle.
Because the National Animal Health Service (Senasa) confirmed the death of a cattle that was affected by this disease, the movement of any cattle from the farm located in Puntarenas province was prohibited.
Between January 2019 and the same period in 2020, the number of pigs slaughtered in Panama increased by 4%, while cattle slaughtering grew by 2%.
According to figures from the General Comptroller's Office of the Republic of Panama, 41,226 heads of pigs were slaughtered in the first month of the year, which is higher than the 39,506 reported in the same period of 2019.
After the sanitary protocol to sell meat to China came into effect and the industrial plants in Costa Rica were certified, the Central American country's sales to the Asian giant doubled between 2018 and 2019.
Figures from the Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer) show that in 2018 beef sales to China reached $22 million, while in 2019 they doubled to $57 million.
Businessmen in the sector say that for the last two years the theft of livestock and illegal slaughtering of animals has been on the rise.
Representatives of the Federation of Livestock Associations of Nicaragua (Faganic) reported that another situation that affects them is the shortage of credit for producers.
Between 2018 and 2019, the number of cattle slaughtered in Panama increased 6%, while the number of pigs slaughtered decreased 9%.
According to the figures of the General Comptroller of the Republic of Panama, 341,188 heads of cattle were slaughtered last year, a figure higher than the 323,289 reported in 2018.
A 5,000 square meter industrial plant with the capacity to process 95 pigs per hour was inaugurated in the municipality of San Juan Opico, department of La Libertad.
The project, which required more than $5 million in investment, was financed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which contributed $2.3 million, and the remaining amount was disbursed by the Salvadoran Meat Industry (INCARSA).
With the approval of a decree declaring beef and all its edible offal as sensitive products, importers in the country will not be able to opt for tariff exemptions.
The Cabinet Council approved Cabinet Decree No. 29 dated December 10, 2019, which declares as sensitive products for the national economy all beef, whether fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, smoked, or processed, as well as all edible bovine offal, whether fresh, chilled or frozen, reported the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA).