Businessmen have complained to the Executive office about the slowness and inefficiency of customs inspections of the country, where containers are retained for up to 15 days.
The truckers blockade which paralyzed customs offices in Jutiapa for a week, has made entrepreneurs question the efficiency of border posts in the country because of the time invested in land transport.
Agricultural production in Mexico is favored by the devaluation of the peso, which has encouraged smuggling to Guatemala of pork products, coffee, poultry and eggs.
The union of entrepreneurs in the agricultural and livestock sector is claiming that it is now not only pork which is being traded illegally on the border, but other products such as coffee, eggs and poultry.
In Nicaragua, the largest producer in Central America, the price of a metric ton increased from $602 in May 2013 to $1676 in May this year.
Of the 'seda' variety of red beans, the countries with the largest price increases are El Salvador and Nicaragua, with increases of 80% and 178%, respectively. Guatemala reports a 130% increase in the 'rojo tinto' variety of red beans, according to the Agricultural Council (CAC).
Despite the signing of the FTA, the Central American poultry sector has not seen increased imports into the U.S.
The U.S.A’s phytosanitary requirements and quality standards are proving the main obstacles to increasing exports.
During the last regional "American Poultry Industry" forum, held in Guatemala, representatives of the industry, "... agreed that it is necessary to renegotiate the FTA agreement and relax some aspects that are now hindering growth of the sector.", noted an article by Karen Molina in El Salvador.