Transporte Aéreos Guatemaltecos has started processing permits to fly to Costa Rica, and according to the authorities, it could take up to six months to complete the process and be able to operate.
Without providing details of the types of routes that the airline Transportes Aéreos Guatemaltecos (TAG) intends to operate, Costa Rican authorities stated that the approval process is in phase 2.
Due to recent seizures of products attempting to enter the country without health permits, an announced has been made of enhanced controls to prevent the entry of any food that does not have the appropriate certifications.
From a statement issued by the Government of Panama:
Pursuant to the Health Standards and / or phytosanitary and health protection of the population, the Panamanian Authority for Food Safety (AUPSA) reiterates that any food product that does not meet the required provisions will be retained, returned or incinerated if necessary.
The shysters who live off government paperwork have reacted with alarm to the agility of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources regarding permits for Minimum Environmental Impact Activities.
Editorial
An article on Plazapública.com.gt reports that until very recently, "... there were only three ways of classifying Environmental Instruments.
Trade ministers from the region are promoting the regional recognition of sanitary permits by its digitization and online availability.
Trade ministers from the region analyzed uploading permissions to a web platform in order to expedite the process of trading regionally. The initiative would allow an exporter registered in Guatemala not to have to send physical documents to another Central American country in order to register.
This first unification of regulations will benefit the export sector of food and medicine industry.
The signing of the agreement to unify technical regulations will be held next Monday and will then be submitted for review to the countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
"The unification of rules prevents companies ... to have the need to arrange export permits for each country in the region," reports the article in Nacion.com.
American Secretary of Agriculture, Edward Schafer, indicated that in order to improve access for the products, they will speed up the processes for phytosanitary approval.
This process "can take years for a plant or animal product to go from one country to another. We hope to improve the system as long as we are guided by scientific standards and not by political or commercial reasons," said Schafer in a press conference at the end of his two day visit to Guatemala.