Due to the potential that Guatemala has and the commercial opportunities that are envisioned for the future, local authorities will begin to take steps so that the fruit harvested in the country is accepted in the U.S., the main importing market for the product.
In order to start with the procedures to approve the phytosanitary controls imposed by U.S. authorities, Guatemala is making an inventory of pests in the crop.
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.
Luis Velex, manager of Chocolats Halba, a company that began operations in Honduras in 2008, told Laprensa.hn that "... Before we came here, there wasn't even a pound of fine chocolate produced here. This post-harvest process was taught, and our technicians follow up to ensure that the quality is maintained."
The government decreed that starting January 1, 2020, banana exporters in Costa Rica will pay local producers a minimum price of $8.36 per 18.14 kilo box.
The authorized increase will be $0.67 per box of 18.14 kilos, from $7.69 to $8.36 for each package sold abroad, reported the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC).
Honduran palm growers do not see improvements in their business in the short term, since they foresee that during 2020 international oil prices will remain low.
Some time ago, businessmen of the sector have been alerting of the crisis they are suffering, because in the first days of July of this year the National Federation of Associations of Oil Palm Producers and Extractors of Honduras (FENAPALMAH) and the Industrial Association of Palm Oil Producers of Honduras (AIPAH), declared themselves in national emergency.
During the first three months of 2019, companies in Central American countries imported insecticides, herbicides and fungicides for $132 million, and purchases from Mexican companies grew 12% over the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAPHIC caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
From January to September 2019, sales of the agricultural sector abroad totaled $2,080 million, 7% less than in the same period in 2018, mainly because of the performance of banana, pineapple and coffee exports.
Figures from the Foreign Trade Promoter (Procomer) detail that between the first nine months of 2018 and the same period of 2019, exports registered a slight increase, going from $8,490 million to $8,629 million.
From January to March 2019, Central American exports of vegetables totaled $56 million, 5% less than what was reported in the same period in 2018, a decrease explained by the behavior of sales to companies in the United States.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAPHIC caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
In the first three months of 2019, Central American countries recorded $590 million in banana sales abroad, 6% less than reported in the same period of 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAPHIC caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
The Guatemalan exporters' guild calls on local companies in the agricultural sector to participate in the PMA Fresh Summit, to be held from October 17 to 19 in Anaheim, California.
Those interested in participating in the PMA Fresh Summit can request more information by calling 2422-3618 or emailing ruth.estrada@agexport.org.gt, informed the Guatemalan Exporters Association.
After last year's sales of grain abroad grew 19% compared to 2017, in the first eight months of 2019 Nicaraguan cocoa exports totaled $5.8 million, 48% more than in the same period of 2018.
Regarding the volume traded, the figures of the Exports Processing Center (Cetrex) that between January and August 2018 and the same period of 2019, the figure increased from 2,433 to 3,405 tons.
In recent years, the downward trend in the average price of regional frozen fruit exports has not been reversed, since between June 2016 and March 2019 it fell from $1.60 to $1.19 per kilo.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAPHIC caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
Producers in Panama report that the wholesale price of potato quintal is $30, which is attributed to the excess supply in the country.
According to businessmen's estimates, consumption per month in the local market is about 50,000 quintals of potato, and it is expected that in August production in the country will rise to 75,000 quintals and in September to 55,000 quintals.
With the entry into force of the tax reform, banana production costs in Nicaragua have increased between 30% and 35%, because of the rise in the price of agrochemicals.
Palm oil producers and traders in Honduras can apply for refinancing or readjustment of loans they have with supervised financial institutions in the country until December 31 of this year.
In order to obtain these benefits, producers and/or traders in the African palm sector must benefit from these mechanisms by 31 December 2019, according to an official source.
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