Betting on the latest technology projects, agriculture 4.0 and seeking alternative products derived from sugarcane so as not to depend on international prices, are some of the lines of action on which the Guatemalan sugar sector will focus in the coming years.
Although sugar prices in the international market have improved between October 2020 and April 2021, in previous years there was a downward trend that pressured mills to explore new market opportunities for sugarcane-derived products.
From January to September 2020, companies in the region bought corn abroad for $753 million, 10% more than what was reported in the same period of 2019, a variation that is explained by the rise in imports from Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
An agricultural production complex was inaugurated in Costa Rica, which has six modules for protected environments and will be used to validate vegetable crop production techniques.
The project, promoted by the National Institute for Innovation and Transfer of Agricultural Technology (INTA) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, aims to validate horticultural crop production techniques in protected environments for the agro-environmental conditions of the Huetar Caribbean Region, Costa Rican authorities reported.
The lack of incentives, the disorder to apply the legislation and the complexity of producing in areas that are surrounded by traditional crops, are some of the factors that hinder the development of organic agriculture in Costa Rica.
In the last decade, the area planted to organic agriculture has fallen. Data from the program of Accreditation and Registration in Agriculture (ARAO) specify that in 2010 the area amounted to 11,115 hectares and in 2019 fell to 8,832 hectares, equivalent to a decrease of 21%.
Whether as a fresh or dry product, there are multiple trading opportunities in markets such as the US, UK, Germany and Japan, which are the main importers of this plant globally.
When sold as a food ingredient, raw material or cosmetic, in the medium and long term there are greater opportunities for internationalization to greater added value can be given to the product, highlights a report prepared by the Promotora de Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica (Procomer).
In Costa Rica, the deadline for employers to regularize the immigration status of workers who come to the country to work in agricultural activities was extended until October 22.
The Ministry of Agriculture identified a second outbreak of the Devouring Locust, now in grasslands and corn fields of the Havillal canton, municipality of San Miguel.
On July 15, the Government reported that they had detected the presence of the Devouring Locust in the state of nymph, in the Costa Azul hamlet of the municipality of Tecoluca, department of San Vicente.
The government has confirmed the presence of the devouring locust in the state of nymph in the Costa Azul hamlet in the municipality of Tecoluca, department of San Vicente.
The International Regional Organization for Agricultural Health alerted the region's ministries of agriculture to outbreaks of the devastating Central American locust.
The Central American authorities were informed of the alert in a note issued by the Regional International Organization for Agricultural Health (OIRSA) during the first stage of rains that ended in September.
A guideline was issued prohibiting the planting of pineapple, banana, rice, grasses, oil palm and other monocultures in forest reserves, buffer zones, national parks, biological reserves, national wildlife refuges, wetlands and natural monuments.
According to Directive No. 0006-2020 of June 26 issued by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae), it exempts forestry plantations from the prohibitions contained in the document.
Arguing that the unusual growth in sugar imports is harming local production, the Alvarado administration decided to raise the tariff on products entering Costa Rica from 45% to 73% for a three-year period.
The Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC) concluded the investigation requested by the Agricultural Industrial League of Sugar Cane (LAICA) and 4 mills, on the safeguard measure against imports of solid state, granulated sugar, known as white sugar, used for domestic and industrial consumption, justifying a deterioration in the main economic indicators of the National Production Branch (RPN), details an official statement dated June 15.
In Guatemala, approximately 75% of agricultural enterprises have reported liquidity problems in the context of the crisis generated by covid-19.
A study conducted by the Chamber of Agriculture (Camagro) states that during May, agricultural companies recorded income losses, a situation that can be explained by the quarantine decreed and the social isolation measures.
The National Congress of Honduras approved a decree to allow local agricultural producers with credits in arrears in Banadesa to manage the readjustment for a further six months.
On January 23, 2020, deputies approved a draft decree to give producers who have debts with the National Agricultural Development Bank (Banadesa) an additional six-month extension for the readjustment of their obligations, reported the institution.
The government announced that it is planning to increase the area planted with avocado from 2,000 to 4,500 hectares, in order to meet the demand for the fruit on the local market.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) reported that the National Avocado Plan will serve as an instrument to guide the management of agricultural sector institutions towards strengthening the cultivation of this fruit.
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