The value of illegal sales of about 32,000 hectoliters of pure alcohol in the country each year is estimated at $54 million.
Growth in the volume traded on the illicit market has been increasing, with the exception of the period between 2012 and 2013, when it went down by 3.7% due to "... greater government control on ethanol, specifically in control of pharmacy alcohol and counterfeit or adulterated alcohol. "
Palm producers claim to have sufficient inventory and are asking for exclusivity in the supply of raw material for the production of biofuels.
Industry representatives argue that they currently have a surplus of 130,000 tons of oil being exported in order to generate biofuel in other countries. The proposal submitted by the producers to lawmakers in the Special Standing Committee on the Environment aims to "...
With a yield of 12.2 tons per hectare, the industry produced 2.8 million metric tons in the 2013/2014 harvest, generating $1.13 billion for the production of sugar, alcohol and molasses.
During the 2013/2014 harvest a total of 1.9 million metric tons (MT) of sugar was exported, of which 162,000 were sent to Ghana and Tunisia and 45,000 to China. Guatemala currently ranks third in sugar yield, competing with Colombia and Swaziland, which are in first place with 14.6 and 13.9 tons per hectare, respectively.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation has announced that it plans to publish, in the next three months, the tender documents for mobile laboratories for blood alcohol.
Currently the Costa Rican Social Security is the body responsible for carrying out blood alcohol tests, but according to the Traffic Act 9078, this should be undertaken by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, an organization which is working on the terms of the tender, which will be published before May 2015.
The National Liquor Factory in Costa Rica is tendering the purchase of ethyl alcohol for use to rectify as a neutral alcohol and ethyl alcohol to age for the year 2015.
The estimated volume of alcohol for 2015 is 5.2 million liters ± 2% ethyl alcohol for rectification and 25,000 liters ± 2% alcohol to age.
The deadline for submission of bids is February 5, 2015.
Advisors of the U.S. Embassy and experts in renewable energy and gasoline additives advise legislation on mixing gasoline and ethanol and eliminating the additives MMT and MTB.
From a statement issued by the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala:
Energy Commission discusses feasibility of blending ethanol fuels
30/04/2014
The members of the Committee on Energy and Mines at the Congress of the Republic, coordinated by Congressman Gustavo Medrano, received representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala, accompanied by experts in renewable energy and gasoline additives, who raised the need to reform Decree 17-85 "Alcohol Fuel Act," which establishes the regulations for marketing fuels in the country.
A new commission set up by the Ministry of Health will regulate advertising of tobacco and alcohol and will look at increasing taxes.
The National Commission for the Prevention of Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases and Cancer, established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare will be responsible for the regulation of advertising of snuff and alcohol and also promote the consumption of healthy foods.
In the last four years exports of distilled spirits and ethyl alcohol to Europe have tripled.
Improvements in both the quality and productivity have allowed Costa Rican companies to increase their presence not only in America but also in Europe.
Elfinancierocr.com reports: "Interestingly, on the website of Economics Trading Indicators - used as a reference by the Costa Rican Oil Refinery (Recope) - it states that the international prices of ethanol (ethyl alcohol) decreased 16.6 % in the last 12 months " . This means that despite the drop in prices, Costa Rican exports increased.
The company Terminal de Graneles Moín (TGM), with an investment of about $5 million, is to build a terminal that will operate as a logistics center for receiving, storing and dispensing liquids.
The objectives of the company are to provide storage tanks and reception services in the port and shipping the product.
The project, to be developed by the businessmen Germán Moreno and Rodolfo Blasio, TGM advisers, and with investment by the PASQUI Group will be built on a property measuring 20,000 square meters located between the Químicos Holanda facilities and terminals belonging to Transmerquim and the former Exxon in Moin, Limon, Costa Rica.
The Spanish company Lysply SA has announced the construction of a factory in Parita which will produce methyl alcohol based on solar energy.
The production plant will be built in an area of 50 hectares in the area of Los Grullos, district of Parita.
According to an article in Prensa.com: "The technology they will use is based on the concentration of solar energy collected by solar trackers which transfer the radiation energy into water vapor.
The new regulation will set the value added tax at 8% and a specific duty of $0.09 per degree of alcohol for beers.
No new regulations are established for the distribution and sale of beer since the law states that this tax only applies to products with 6% abv or more.
"The reform also set a tax of $0.10 per liter on portable ethyl alcohol, whether produced domestically or imported, according to article 42-D," reports Laprensagrafica.com.
The bill sent to Congress will mean stores must have a license in order to sell beer.
El Salvador's current law stipulates the need for an operation license only for the sale of beverages containing more than 6% alcohol by volume meaning that beer is excluded.
With the proposed reforms, companies that sell beer will have to obtain the permit, the cost of which is planned to be $210 per year.
The government has sent the Assembly a proposal to reform the liquor duties levied on beers, wines and spirits that were approved in December 2009.
El Salvador's Treasury Minister, Carlos Cáceres, expects this new proposal to correct errors in the current legislation, which he says is not what was intended.
Laprensagrafica.com reports comments from the minister, "back in December we asked for tariffs corresponding to the alcoholic content of beverages".
The company Bardinet will buy "drinkable alcohol" from five sugar refineries for the production of its rum brands, Negrita, Pujol, and Negus.
To comply with the purchasing agreement for 8 million gallons, the sugar refineries Santa Rosa, Ofelina, La Victoria, and Central Azucarera de Alanje will join production.
Rafael Berrocal highlights in his article in Prensa.com statements by Anel Flores, owner of Azucarera Alanje: "This is an important opportunity for the sugar sector because it permits us to launch a new product for export."
Costa Rica will import raw alcohol from Brazil to dehydrate it and re-export it to the US with zero-tariff, in accordance with DR-CAFTA rules.
The Brazilian president's visit to Costa Rica formalized at the government level what was already in the works between businesses in both countries.
In his article in Nacion.com, Juan Fernando Lara S. stated: "Recently, the Agro-Industrial Sugar Cane League (LAICA) obtained a contract from a Brazilian firm that will bring raw alcohol to the country. It will be dehydrated in Punta Morales and then it will be placed as ethanol in the United States."
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