In the first seven months of 2020, companies in the countries of the region imported fertilizers from Mexico for $27 million, 14% less than what was reported for the same period in 2019, a decrease that can be explained by the decrease in purchases by Guatemalan and Costa Rican companies.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graph"]
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 decision was made not to extend the decree that allows employers to regulate the immigration status of workers who come to Costa Rica to work in agricultural activities.
The decree concerned is No. 42406-MAG-MGP and establishes that employers in the agricultural sector may regularize the immigration status of foreigners who entered the country between January 15, 2016 and January 15, 2020.
With the rejection of the appeal presented by one of the participating companies, the General Comptroller of the Republic gave the green light to the construction of an agricultural plant in the Southern Zone of Costa Rica.
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.
Reducing the electricity tariff, repealing the tax reform and creating financial relief regulations are part of the proposals of Nicaraguan producers to guarantee production in the current agricultural cycle.
The new 2020-2021 agricultural cycle is about to begin, and given the current covid-19 pandemic, it is urgent to guarantee optimal operation in all links that make up the country's agrifood chain, said the Nicaraguan Agricultural and Livestock Producers Union (Upanic).
An industrial plant for the processing of vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products, roots and tubers will be built in the canton of Coto Brus, province of Puntarenas.
The Costa Rican government awarded the contract for the construction of this industrial complex to the company Vidalco Empresa Constructora. It is estimated that the overall investment will be approximately $3 million.
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.
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.
In Nicaragua, businessmen claim that since June last year, 28 properties in different parts of the country are still taken by groups of people related to the Ortega regime.
According to the Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua (Upanic), the 28 properties located in seven departments of the country, together represent 4,615 manzanas.
In Panama, President Cortizo sanctioned the Law that establishes that from 2024, 100% of the resources retained by the Special Interest Compensation Fund will go to the agricultural sector.
The National Assembly approved a bill that establishes that by 2024, 100% of the resources retained by the Special Interest Compensation Fund will go to the agricultural sector.
The Special Interest Compensation Fund (Fondo Especial de Compensación de Intereses, FECI) is fed by the 1% tax levied on the granting of all loans exceeding five thousand dollars in both commercial and consumer banks.
The average tariff applied to imports of agricultural products in Costa Rica is 14.1%, while for imported industrial goods, the levy is 5.6%.
The Trade Policy Review of Costa Rica, prepared by the World Trade Organization (WTO), specifies that sausages and similar products are some of the imports on which the highest tariffs have been imposed.
Because the area of stolen land in Guatemala has grown from about 10,000 hectares in the 1990s to 164,000 in 2018, losses in agricultural production caused by this phenomenon reached nearly $650 million last year.
The Chamber of Agriculture (Camagro) estimates that only in 2018, invasions of private property, mainly agricultural production farms, generated a negative impact equivalent to 0.6% of Gross Domestic Product.
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