From January to June 2020, companies from Central American countries exported frozen shrimp and prawns for $60 million, and sales to the United Kingdom grew by 36% compared to the same period in 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Area of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
Because in today's business reality many people prefer to spend more time at home and cook their own food, the demand for easy-to-prepare processed seafood has grown.
At a global level, changes in consumer behavior have been reported, because of the quarantines decreed in several countries of the world by the outbreak of covid-19, people's habits, tastes and preferences have been changing.
From January to March 2020, companies from Central American countries exported frozen shrimp and prawns for $60 million, and sales to Taiwan grew by 56% compared to the same period in 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
Nearby CIFCO, in San Salvador, is a sales point that, at a distance of 15 minutes walking, holds a captive market of 23 thousand people who together spend $6.5 million, and of them, 10% show interest in seafood.
In CentralAmericaData we developed a geomarketing tool based on interactive maps, through which you can identify where people are and what characteristics they have as consumers. The map incorporates, for any Central American country, the variables population, income, average monthly expenditure and consumer interests. With this information, it is possible to identify potential clients and define promotional strategies accordingly, or also explore home delivery times from any sales point.
During the first month of the year, Nicaraguan seafood exports totaled $16.7 million, 19% less than what was reported in the same month in 2019, a situation explained by the decline in demand from Asia and the U.S., important destinations for this sector.
According to data from the Center for Export Processing (Cetrex), between January 2019 and the same month of 2020 exports of seafood products recorded a fall of $ 4 million, from $ 16.7 million to $ 20.7 million.
From January to June 2019, companies in Central American countries exported frozen shrimp and prawns for $116 million, and sales to the United Kingdom grew by 19% over the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics"]
From January to March 2019, companies from Central American countries exported frozen shrimp and prawns for $59 million, and sales to the United Kingdom grew 39% over the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAPHIC caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
A week after suspending operations because of extortion by local criminal groups, Nova Guatemala decided to restart operations on 19 August.
Days ago it was reported that because of the insecurity conditions in the municipality of Champerico, in Retalhuleu, the company had decided to suspend its operation.
However, after reaching an agreement that the National Civil Police and elements of the Army provide surveillance to the facilities, it was decided to resume production activities.
The shrimp company Nova Guatemala, which has been operating for more than 20 years in Champerico, Retalhuleu, has been closed since Aug. 12 because of the extortion it suffers from criminal groups.
Representatives of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport) reported that the affected company has approached in search of support, but the details of the case are kept confidential.
Integral Fruits & Co., a company of Ecuadorian origin, plans to invest in the country close to $6 million in the construction of two aquaculture farms and the production of different types of fruit.
One of the projects that the company will execute will begin in mid-2020 and consists of the construction of a farm with 64 swimming pools dedicated to the cultivation of tilapia, white shrimp, snapper and cod.
In the first half of the year, Central American countries exported frozen shrimp and prawns for $207 million, 53% more than during the same period in 2017.
Figures from the information system on the frozen shrimp and prawns market in Central America complied by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
Due to excessive rainfall in Honduras, shrimp companies estimate that the shrimp losses could reach $100 million.
The executive director of the Asociacion Nacional de Acuicultores de Honduras (Andah), Javier Amador, said to Latribuna.hn that "... The shrimp lagoons are protected by embankments to retain the water and they were destroyed by the force of the rivers.
Because the creation of a new sanitary regulation in Mexico will take more than three months, it will be almost impossible to resume exports of fresh Honduran shrimp to the North American country this year.
Mexico's blockade of Honduran shrimp imports has been in effect since October 20 last year, after Mexican authorities cited the presence of yellow head disease in the product purchased.
In the first quarter of the year, Central American countries exported $90 million worth of frozen shrimp and langoustine, which is 76% more than in the same period in 2017, mainly due to sales to the US and Taiwan.
Figures from the information system on the Market for Frozen Shrimp and Langoustine in Central America, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption = "Click to interact with graph"]