In Nicaragua domestic cattle producers are being paid better than those in other countries.
"... The plants are paying around US $3.22 per kilo for 'hot' beef while markets such as Brazil, the world's largest exporter, whose meat competes with Nicaragua’s, paid US $2.22 per kilo. That means that Nicaragua is paying about $220 more per head than in those markets, and 45% more per kilo of 'hot' beef relative to the leading exporter of beef in the world ", said Onel Perez, executive director of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Beef Exporting Plants (Canicarne), in an extensive interview with Elnuevodiario.com.ni.
The commissioning of the plant belonging to the Mexican SuKarne has once again brought to the fore the problem of smuggling of live cattle both to Costa Rica and to Honduras.
An article in Elnuevodiario.com.ni reports that "... Canicarne's executive director, Onel Perez, insisted that the problem of livestock [smuggling] not only affects meat processing plants, but will also have effects on employment in newly set up processing plants, the price of meat for consumers, and livestock taken as a whole. "
The main factors are a herd of 5.8 million head of cattle, programs which give impetus to the activity, and the opportunities provided by the AA with the EU.
According to breeders and industry to date number of cattle could be higher than that amount recorded in the IV National Agricultural Census (4.2 million head).
Canicarne is demanding the repeal of the decree which establishes a fixed price of $250 for cattle weighing between 250 and 350 kilos, which favors the export of live cattle.
According to the Nicaraguan Chamber of Beef Exports (Canicarne), slaughterhouses are working at half capacity and demanding the repeal of the interministerial Mific-Magfor Decree 027-2007, believing that it encourages tax evasion in live cattle exports.
They warn that if domestic prices are not adjusted and there is no guarantee to maintain the value of the local currency, they will not sell their cattle to local slaughterhouses.
Alvaro Fiallos, president of the National Union of Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG), is demanding that slaughterhouses adjust the price which has been kept frozen since late May last year at $2.97 per kilo in hot weight, and that they recognize the maintenance of the value of the cordoba.
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