Because Costa Rica has imposed several restrictions on the movement of goods entering its territory, the Guatemalan government announced that it will apply reciprocal measures to Costa Rican transporters from June 9.
With the recent signing of the U.S.-Canadian-Mexican trade agreement, a precedent was set for future negotiations, as this agreement sets binding labor conditions, such as making exports subject to the payment of a minimum wage.
For example, one of the conditions of the Treaty between Mexico, United States and Canada (T-MEC), which was signed on December 10, 2019, is that vehicles exported from one state of Mexico to the other two countries "must come from plants that pay wages not less than $16 an hour.
In October, the company Frutas Tropicales de Guatemala made the first shipment of Chinese peas and sweet peas to the Russian market.
This is the first shipment of fresh vegetables from Guatemala to the Russian market.
Directors of the company explained that the first shipment of peas was made indirectly, as it was made through Dutch and French companies, but in the short term they intend to establish direct relations with Russian distributors.
The plan to impose a 5% tariff on Mexican products entering the U.S. would open up opportunities for Central American countries to increase their sales to the U.S., but there are fears that similar measures could be taken against the region.
On May 30, President Trump announced on his Twitter account that he plans to impose a 5% tariff on Mexican products entering the U.S.
The regulation for Special Public Economic Development Zones, which came into effect in Guatemala on February 4, establishes fiscal incentives for companies operating under this scheme.
Among the tax benefits provided by the Law on Special Public Economic Development Zones (ZDEEP), include the exemption for 10 years of 100% of income tax, as well as the temporary suspension of taxes associated with imports.
Since the free trade zones law was amended, almost 100 companies have closed in Guatemala in the last two years, and by 2019 the figure is expected to keep growing if the regulatory framework is not modified.
Data from the Bank of Guatemala detail that from January to October of this year, exports of companies in free trade zones totaled $471 million, 2% less than the $479 million registered in the first ten months of 2017.
A new information platform aims to identify the main disadvantages faced by companies that transport goods through the region in customs and paperwork management.
The Central American Economic Integration Secretariat (Sieca) presented the Trade Incidences Platform, which will compile information on the disadvantages that companies have in the areas of customs, transport, sanitary procedures, phytosanitary, import or export.
The region is expected to conclude 2018 with a rise of just over 4% in the volume exported and just 3.6% in value, due to the fall in international prices of several agricultural products.
According to the International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2018, published by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), it is expected that this year Central America will export larger volumes at lower prices.
Businesses have reported difficulties when using the system that generates the invoice and the Central American single statement form and state that the three integrated customs offices are not working.
Integration of customs systems in Honduras and Guatemala started three months ago, but not in the agile way that the companies that trade in the region had hoped for.
The customs union between Guatemala and Honduras favors small companies in particular, as they do not have to deal with the costly and slow procedures for export and passage through customs offices.
Although it does not yet cover the entire tariff universe, the effective customs union between Honduras and Guatemala will facilitate trade between both countries and this will have a positive impact on the development of both economies.
The government has announced that through an agreement with Taiwan funds will be obtained for expansion works on the CA-9 North highway.
The Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing informed Diario de Centroamerica that"...It is expected that in March a Taiwanese mission will visit the country to review the works that will be carried out ... and they have prepared the plans for the project and, from next week, circulation schedules will be more flexible, which will ease traffic loads."
From this year these three products will be traded duty-free under the DR-CAFTA agreement.
The tariff reduction process that started with the entry into force of the free trade agreement with the United States and Central America has now reached completion for rum, flour and fats exported from Guatemala.
"...The first product is rum, which in 2006, when the trade agreement came into effect, had a tariff base of 40 percent.Last year, the import tax had reached 3.3 percent and this year it is zero.Other products that are in the same situation are the residues from the treatment of animals and plant fats (other than poultry, cattle and pigs) and flour from wheat or morcajo (meslin), according to the Ministry of Economy."
Exporters resent the strength of the local currency against the dollar, which reduces competitiveness at a time when export volumes are falling.
Since the beginning of the year until mid-August, the price of the Quetzal against the dollar has gone from Q7,63 per dollar to Q7,50, a difference of 13 cents resulting in a decrease of competitiveness for exporters and sectors that generate revenue in the US currency.
Losses of up to $1 million a day in exports are being reported due to demonstrations which have closed off Customs offices in Tecun Uman, El Carmen and La Mesilla for the last 8 days.
Although the union of exporters has tried to contact the Mexican authorities to end the blockade that is preventing the free movement of goods from Guatemala to Mexico, the problem has not been resolved and customs offices have now been paralyzed for eight days.
The Honduran investment promotion office has sent a letter of invitation to entrepreneurs who lost their tax exemptions in Guatemala.
Honduras is looking to attract investment from Guatemala citing two advantages over its competitors: tax incentives on exports and port infrastructure in the Caribbean.
The person responsible for promoting foreign investment in Honduras, Vilma Sierra, sent a letter of invitation to the businessmen who lost their tax exemptions in Guatemala. The letter sent alarm bells ringing for Guatemalan union leaders because of the resemblance they have with the Honduran market, and the tax incentives they have lost and poor port infrastructure available.
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