During the third quarter of 2021, an increase of 22 % was observed, reaching $640 million in exports of fresh, refrigerated and frozen beef, however, in volume it only represented a 2 percent increase, reaching 125,448 tons.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"]
Dos Pinos will begin to compete in the Costa Rican beef, pork and sausage market through the La Granja brand.
The companies informed that the plan is to offer the new line of products starting in the second half of 2021, being caterers, bakeries and grocery stores, the marketing channels that will be used to reach consumers.
During the first four months of 2021, companies operating in Costa Rica sold $22 million worth of beef to China, this figure represents 54% of the total exported by the Central American country.
Data from the Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer) show that from January to April of this year, Costa Rican beef exports to China totaled $22 million, to the U.S. $8 million and to Puerto Rico $5 million.
Despite warnings in Costa Rica that there was a deficit in the budget of Senasa, the institution in charge of applying tests to exported and imported meats, the authorities assure that the execution of these tests will not be interrupted.
A few days ago, the livestock sector had warned that the entity could be forced to suspend the tests applied to meat products, a situation that could affect the health of consumers.
In order to improve the sector's production management and guarantee safe pork trade, the Guatemalan government is moving forward with the implementation of the Official Pork Traceability Program.
The program, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (Maga), consists of placing radiofrequency button-type and flag-type devices for breeding animals.
From January to September 2020, the countries of the region exported $527 million for beef, 16% more than what was registered in the same period of 2019, a rise that is explained by the behavior of Honduran, Panamanian, Costa Rican and Nicaraguan sales.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
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.
The increase in the international prices of corn and soybeans, inputs used to produce animal feed, threatens to put upward pressure on the production costs of meat, eggs and dairy products.
In recent months, the international price of a bushel (27 kilos) of soybeans increased by 28%, from $10.6 to $13.62, between November 1, 2020 and January 28, 2021.
From January to June 2020, Central American countries reported $359 million in beef sales abroad, 24% more than what was recorded in the same period of 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
Given the announcements made by butchers about the possible increase in the price of beef, the Diaco announces that it has begun operations to prevent speculation.
The Direccion de Atención y Asistencia al Consumidor (Diaco), an agency of the Ministry of Economy, informed that it has begun operations to verify red meat prices nationwide, warning that it will not tolerate any abuse and price speculation.
Given the blockade that has been in place since July 2020 to the entry of animal products from Costa Rica into the Panamanian market, the Panamanian guild of poultry farmers supports the actions taken by the Cortizo administration.
At the beginning of the second semester of 2020 the commercial conflict between both countries began, since Panama informed the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica (MAG), about the decision not to extend the authorization for export to a list of Costa Rican establishments previously authorized and that have been commercializing in the Panamanian market for many years.
AR Holdings will invest $1.5 million in the opening of The Capital Grille restaurant on Avenida Escazu.
According to information provided by the conglomerate, the restaurant is expected to open to the public by the end of the first semester of 2021 in premises that will have an area of 470 square meters.
In the last five years, pork consumption in Central America increased 42%, from 197,000 tons in 2014 to nearly 279,000 tons in 2019, growth that was boosted by the Salvadoran and Honduran markets.
Figures from the "Pork Market Snapshot" prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, detail that in the last two years’ regional consumption of pork registered a 3% increase, since between 2018 and 2019 it is estimated that demand in Central America rose from 270 thousand metric tons to 279 thousand tons.
When the country's authorities begin to lift the restrictions that have been taken to prevent the spread of covid-19, it is predicted that in the meat sector, sales of chicken could contract by 2%.
Through a demand/income sensitivity model developed by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, variations in household demand for different goods and services can be projected as the most critical phases of the spread of covid-19 are overcome and the measures restricting mobility in the countries of the region are lifted.