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.
With the new laboratory for the analysis of toxic residues of bovine, porcine and poultry meat, which will begin to operate as of March 2021, Panama will be able to begin exporting to the US market.
Due to the fact that the country so far lacks a laboratory to certify the quality of the meat, Panama cannot export to the United States, however, authorities announced that next year the situation will change.
After completing all the requirements, Panamanian authorities announced that next June 21 will leave the first container with 200 tons of beef bound for the Asian country.
At the end of March, it was reported that the meat product plants that received the endorsement of the General Administration of Customs of China to start marketing their products were Matadero de Chiriquí, S.A. (Machisa), Unión Ganadera, S.A. (Ungasa) and Macello.
In Panama, the processing plant Union Livestock received the endorsement to market beef in the Asian country, and it is expected that the first containers will be shipped in late April.
At the end of last year, it was reported that the meat product plants that received the endorsement by the General Administration of Customs of China to start selling their products to the Asian giant were Matadero de Chiriquí, S.A.
Between January and October 2018 and the same period in 2017, the number of slaughtered animals was unchanged, while the number of pigs slaughtered increased by 10%.
According to the latest data from the General Comptroller of Panama, in the first ten months of the year, 270.120 head of cattle were slaughtered, a similar figure to the 270.134 reported in the same period of 2017.
After a $20 million global investment, Grupo Rey launched a meat processing plant and a cold and frozen distribution center.
By inaugurating two industrial plants, which together cover an area of 7,400 m2 and are in the capital, in the La Locería sector, the business group aims to improve production, distribution and supply processes.
In Costa Rica, producers of buffalo, rabbit and lamb meat sell their products through restaurants and some supermarkets, in response to growth in consumption which has been noted in recent years.
The sophistication of consumption, hand in hand with a greater diversification in the gastronomic supply at restaurants has been pushing up demand for nontraditional meats, such as rabbit, buffalo and lamb.
The union of exporters of bovine meat reports that since the end of September orders from the South American country have halted, falling practically to zero.
Business people in the Nicaraguan meat industry attribute the drop in meat sales to Venezuela to a sharp reduction in the volume of trade which the oil agreement between the South American country and the countries in the Alba contemplates.
In order to take advantage of the potential of the Nicaraguan livestock industry, it is essential that traceability systems be improved, a prerequisite for entering demanding markets such as Europe.
The growth in exports of meat and meat products from Nicaragua could be even greater if product monitoring and control systems were properly implemented throughout the production chain.The European market is one of the most demanding in this regard, and is one of the most profitable once the necessary traceability systems are implemented.
In the first four months of the year the volume of meat exported exceeded the figure for the same period in 2016 by 45% and generated income of $134 million.
The value exported was also higher than the one registered in the first quarter of last year, when $96 million was exported, according to Cetrex's figures.
Representatives of the sector attribute the better results to diversification of the markets for which Nicaraguan meat is destined.René Blandón, president of the Comisión Nacional Ganadera de Nicaragua (Conagan), commented to Elnuevodiario.com.ni: "The industries, which are responsible for placing the processed product, have got their finger out, so to speak, in searching for and conquering new markets for meat."
The government has temporarily disabled health records for processed meat products imported from the south american country.
From a statement issued by the Panamanian Food Safety Authority:
As a preventive measure, the Panamanian Food Safety Authority today ordered the withdrawal from supermarkets of processed meat products originating from the Republic of Brazil.
The Hernandez administration has announced that the processing plant C & D will start operating again from this month.
From a statement issued by Coalianza:
The reopening of the C&D meat processing plant, located in the town of Catacamas, Olancho, will take place later this week, President Juan Orlando Hernández announced today.
This year the union of beef exporters expects to sell abroad 113,000 tons of beef and offal products.
Directors of the Nicaraguan chamber of beef exporting plants estimate that sales this year will generate $480 million in revenue.They also announced they will be working on the implementation of improvements that will allow them to increase the value added of the final product, in order to enter more demanding markets, such as Europe.
Purchase of equipment for quality testing and adjustments in health checks are part of the plan that Panama will implement in order to start exporting meat.
The Ministry of Agricultural Development's plan involves changes to the health system, incorporating new technology for quality controls.The aim is to deliver, in mid-2017, the equivalency questionnaire to the Food Safety Inspection Services at the US Department of Agriculture.