In markets such as North America and Western Europe, a consumer segment wants the grain to meet aspects such as ethical and sustainable sourcing, and its production process to be certified.
According to the study "Trends and Opportunities for value-added coffee exports" conducted by the Differentiated Coffees Committee of AGEXPORT, reveals how to change the strategies for marketing good quality coffee with higher value added (roasted), for the next coffee harvest of 2,019 - 2,020 and those to come.
Representatives of the trade union announced that the country will receive the "insignificant risk" certificate next May, which will allow it to reach new markets and export cuts of bovine meat on the bone.
Local authorities reported that in relation to bovine spongiform encephalopathy disease, better known as "mad cows disease", the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) will grant the country the status of "negligible risk", which is necessary to sell abroad cuts of bovine meat on the bone.
Reports in Nicaragua indicate that only five companies managed to obtain the certificate which will be needed from July 1st to export by sea.
The Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP warned that a week before the rule takes effect, only five exporting companies have carried out the procedures needed to certify the weight of marine cargo when the rule goes into effect.
Nicaraguan health authorities have restricted access to products elaborated by the Costa Rican company Dos Pinos and two other companies for failing to obtain health certification for their processing plants.
In a circular apparently issued by the company Dos Pinos, the entity may have indicated to its customers that due to non-renewal of health certificates for the industrializing plant they may not be able to continue expending their products until the situation has been resolved.This is the version stated by Laprensa.com.ni, who also explained that the Country manager at Dos Pinos in Nicaragua, Oswaldo Gonzalez Quijano said in the document"... The measure taken by the Government of Nicaragua 'has no technical basis'."
The poultry industry in Nicaragua plans to initiate efforts to obtain certification so that its plants can start exporting chicken meat to the United States.
Since the certification process can take up to three years, the aim of the poultry industry is to start early in order to be ready to start exporting to the US market before the end of the period of tariff reduction set by the DR-CAFTA.
The new version is optionally immediately applicable together with the current Version 4 and will be mandatory for all new and rectified audits from July 1, 2016.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office :
The GLOBALG.AP Board recently announced the introduction of an update to version 5 of its food safety standard Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) for crops and aquaculture.
The International Standards Organization plans to publish the new ISO standards 14001: 2015 on environmental management in September of 2015.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
New ISO standard will be published in September
In order to respond to market changes and demands, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) plans to publish the new ISO standard 14001: 2015 on environmental management in September 2015.
If it wants to compete in the big leagues of single-origin coffee, the Nicaraguan coffee sector must focus on getting designations of origin.
In Nicaragua there are five areas that are considered to be those with the highest levels of quality and these have great potential for certification of designation of origin and geographical indications. Competition for position in the demanding international market becomes fiercer if you do not have this certification.
With the Global GAP certification that they hope to obtain this year, with 12,000 hectares of crops Mexico projects that it will increase its fruit exports to the US market.
From a press release issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer) :
Mexico to increase mango exports
54% of the 135,000 tonnes of mango estimated to be produced in 2015 in Michoacán (about 73,000 tons) will be for export.
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 consumption of food products certified as Fairtrade is maintaining its upward trend, especially in developed markets such as Europe and North America.
From a statement issued by the Foreign Trade Promotion Office of Costa Rica (Procomer):
Reyka Fick, communicator at the firm Fairtrade International, said that in the last year Fairtrade certified products grew internationally and even grew in markets such as South Africa, Kenya and India."In terms of a marketing approach, a central part of the strategy followed in producing countries (such as those previously mentioned) is to support the domestic market," said Fick.
Nicaraguan textile companies expect an increase in sales after obtaining 'Better Work' certification which establishes better working conditions for employees.
The implementation of the program run by the International Labour Organization is a condition of international clothing brands such as Levi's, Target, GAP and other textile mills which need to buy materials to make their clothes, therefore its implementation in Nicaraguan companies is key to improving competitiveness and attracting new investment to the sector.
The union of producers and exporters estimates the manual for interpretation of the rules for cattle and sheep will be ready in November this year.
From a statement issued by the Association of Producers and Exporters of Nicaragua (APEN):
The Association of Producers and Exporters of Nicaragua (APEN) will start preparing, on 10 July, the guide for interpretation of the rules for cattle and sheep, known as Globalgap, said Azucena Castillo, general manager of the association. "We have set a meeting to begin work on developing guidance for the interpretation of the standard for cattle and sheep. In this meeting we will introduce the topic and explain the procedure established by Globalgap" Castillo said.
The system allows to compare various voluntary certifications so that more informed decisions can be made regarding sustainable production and trade.
From an article by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
The ITC Updates Standards Map
The International Trade Centre (ITC) has launched an improved version of the Standards Map, in order to meet the challenge posed by voluntary standards, due to the exponential growth seen over the last decade.
A Dutch study presents the expectations of importers of flowers and foliage in terms of sustainability, certification, required standards and other practices.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands has conducted a study detailing the expectations of consumers and importers of flowers and foliage in European countries, consumer preferences, procedures and techniques used in the production and transfer of flowers, labeling, relevance of certification of products, and definition of sustainability, among other things.