The Ministry of the Interior in Guatemala tenders the supply of food served for persons in prison with dignified and healthy food, for the different penitentiary centers that make up the northern region, for a period of two years, with a total of 2 million rations served.
Guatemalan Government Purchase 14084678:
"MINGOB requires the supply of food served for persons deprived of liberty for a term of 24 months, in the different penitentiary centers that make up the northern region.
During 2020, Central American rice imports amounted to $388 million, and purchases from Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay increased in year-on-year terms by 751%, 330% and 218%, respectively.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"].
Between August 2019 and December 2020, there was evidence of an upward trend in the average price of Central American frozen fruit exports, as it increased from $1.04 to $1.45 per kilo.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"].
In order to increase its installed capacity, in Guatemala the company Rianxeira invested $2.5 million in the commissioning of two new industrial buildings.
In 2020, Central American countries spent $460 million to import bakery, pastry and biscuit products; of the total amount purchased abroad, Guatemalan, Honduran and Panamanian companies represented 62%.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"].
For the Central American Rice Federation, the bankruptcy of more than 62 thousand rice farmers in Central America and the Dominican Republic is imminent, due to the abolition of import tariffs, a measure that is part of the implementation of the DR-CAFTA Free Trade Agreement.
Representatives of the sector consider that if the commercial liberalization of rice cultivation continues, there will be an increase in unemployment and poverty in their agricultural areas, since more than 265,000 people depend directly on this crop and approximately 990,000 people indirectly, and foresee serious social, economic and political implications due to the effects of the Treaty.
During 2020, companies in the region bought corn abroad for $998 million, 5% more than what was reported in 2019, a variation that is explained by the increase in imports from Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Costa Rica.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
During 2020, Central American imports of infant formula for infant feeding packaged for retail sale totaled $134 million, an amount that is 9% lower than the amount reported in 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
In order to supply the deficiency of the local market, the Ministry of Economy authorized the import of 75 thousand metric tons of white corn, which will be subject to a zero tariff.
The May 21 edition of the Diario de Centroamerica published Ministerial Agreement 232-2021, by means of which the Ministry of Economy authorizes the import of white corn, tariff code 1005.90.30.00.
It is estimated that in Central America close to one million people express interest in soups in the digital environment, being Ramen, Curry and Maggi, some of the terms most associated by consumers with high purchasing power with the subject.
An analysis of the interests and preferences of consumers in Central America, prepared by the Business Intelligence Area of CentralAmericaData, yields interesting results on the preferences and tastes of people in various foods, products, services and activities.
Some of the innovations that the Guatemalan chain Pollo Campero has implemented in this new commercial reality include investing in the implementation of establishments that serve only home delivery service and setting up open spaces to serve more consumers.
As a result of the spread of Covid-19, restaurant chains were forced to close the table area. In this context, companies focused on mitigating their economic losses through food delivery sales..
As a result of the blockade that has been in place since July 2020 on the entry of animal products from Costa Rica into the Panamanian market, Costa Rican exports to Panama are reported to have fallen and companies such as Dos Pinos are reporting losses in the millions.
The trade conflict began when Panama informed the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), an agency of Costa Rica's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), of the decision not to extend export authorization to a list of previously authorized Costa Rican establishments that have been trading in the Panamanian market for many years.
From January to September 2020, Central American countries imported $360 million for animal feed preparations, 9% more than what was reported in the same period of 2019, a rise that is largely explained by the behavior of purchases from the U.S. and Mexico.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
From January to September 2020 Central America allocated $298 million to rice imports, and purchases from Brazil increased 808% compared to what was reported in the same period of 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
During the last weeks of 2020 and the first months of 2021, interest in vitamins and supplements, measured through Internet searches and mentions in social media conversations, increased in all markets in the region.
Through a system that monitors in real time changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short- and long-term demand trends for the different products, services, sectors and markets operating in the region.