Because of the lack of investment in recent years in the maintenance of the coffee park, in the first three months of the current harvest in El Salvador a 46% year-on-year drop in the volume of coffee production is reported.
Figures from the Salvadoran Coffee Council (CSC) indicate that from October to December 2019, nearly 358,000 quintals of coffee have been harvested, a volume that is lower than the 668,000 quintals produced in the same period in 2018.
In order for Guatemalan producers to compete under the same conditions as neighboring countries, the government is preparing a bill that seeks to exempt agricultural inputs from VAT.
The initiative, known as the "Fiscal Equity Law", is being prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (Maga), because, according to the institution's top official, other Central American countries do not charge value-added tax (VAT) on agricultural inputs.
Authorities from both countries defined the actions they must execute in terms of sanitary requirements, so that Panama can start exporting products such as pineapple, beef, coffee and cocoa, among others, to Israel.
The entry of these Panamanian products to the Israeli market is within the framework of the Free Trade Agreement between the two economies, which was signed in May 2018 and ratified by the National Assembly of Panama in October 2019.
From January to November 2019, companies in the countries of the region imported $35 million in fertilizers from Mexico, and 83% were bought by Guatemalan companies.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics"]
For agricultural producers, the use of precision biotechnology in Guatemala requires a specialized committee so that the authorities' decisions are based on technical and scientific evidence, and not under the influence of political or ideological interests.
Guatemala already has regulations in this area, since on October 1, 2019, the regulatory framework signed by the Ministry of Economy with its counterparts in El Salvador and Honduras came into effect.
Costa Rican businessmen are opposed to the bill that gives Icafé the authority to impose requirements and controls on the processes of supplying the raw material necessary for grain production.
In the current period, the Legislative Assembly plans to discuss bill 21.163, which aims to transform the powers of the Costa Rican Coffee Institute (Icafé), but the business sector anticipates that the proposed modifications will lead to a rise in the prices of the product.
In the first six months of 2019, Central American countries exported pineapple for $525 million, and sales to companies in the United Kingdom grew by 5% over the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics"]
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.
With the beginning of the new government in Guatemala, businessmen in the agricultural sector are optimistic and believe that the priorities of the new authorities should be to guarantee property rights and improve road infrastructure.
According to a survey conducted to measure the perceptions of the members of the Chamber of Agriculture (Camagro), economic revitalization is another issue that should prioritize the work agenda of the government of Alejandro Giammattei.
To stop competing with low prices, companies in Honduras focus on improving the quality of the grain they produce.
In the last few days on the New York Stock Exchange the ton of cocoa has been quoted at about $2,655, however, the better quality produced in the country allows companies like Chocolats Halba to pay local producers $4,000 per ton.
The Salvadoran business sector welcomes with good expectations the announcement of the Bukele administration to implement the "Economic Takeoff Plan", and they assure that they are willing to join efforts.
Nayib Bukele announced that his administration will implement the "Economic Takeoff Plan", which aims to create the conditions for the economy to grow above 3.5%.
The plan will focus on articulating government efforts in the agricultural sector, telecoms through connectivity and education focused on preparing the new generations in the framework of the fourth industrial revolution.
For the 2018-2019 agricultural cycle, the cultivated area in the country was 925,101 hectares, 14% less than the 1.07 million reported for the 2017-2018 cycle.
Data from the National Agricultural Survey (ENA), prepared by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), show that in the last agricultural cycle about 149,000 hectares were not cultivated with corn.
During the first half of 2019, exports from Central America of palm oil and its fractions reached $333 million, and sales to companies in Spain increased by 93% compared to the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics"]
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