Trade: Panama-Costa Rica Blockade Gains SupportTuesday, January 19, 2021 Given the blockade that has been in place since July 2020 to the entry of animal products from Costa Rica into the Panamanian market, the Panamanian guild of poultry farmers supports the actions taken by the Cortizo administration. At the beginning of the second semester of 2020 the commercial conflict between both countries began, since Panama informed the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica (MAG), about the decision not to extend the authorization for export to a list of Costa Rican establishments previously authorized and that have been commercializing in the Panamanian market for many years. Coffee in Costa Rica: Harvest is DelayingWednesday, January 20, 2021 Because the grain has not matured with the normal speed, at the end of the second half of December of the 2020-2021 agricultural season, the volume harvested in the country had fallen 23% compared to what was reported at the same date of the 2019-2020 cycle. According to businessmen of the sector, the delay in the maturation of coffee is mainly because during 2020 in almost all the country the rains arrived late, a phenomenon that interrupted the normal cycle of the grain.
MARKET STUDIES
Fertilizers: How Does the Regional Market Behave?Tuesday, January 19, 2021 Between January and June 2020, Central America allocated $448 million to fertilizer imports, 2% more than the same period in 2019. Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were the markets that explained the increase in regional purchases. Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"] Trade: Costa Rica Acts Against PanamaFriday, January 15, 2021 As a result of the blockade to the entrance to the Panamanian market of products of animal origin coming from Costa Rica, on January 11 the Costa Rican government requested to the WTO the application of the mechanism of consultation with Panama. The trade conflict began in July 2020, when Panama informed the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), an agency of the Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), of the decision not to extend the export authorization to a list of Costa Rican establishments previously authorized and which have been trading in the Panamanian market for many years. Economic Recovery: Honduras RetreatsTuesday, January 19, 2021 As a result of the pandemic in May 2020, the IMAE hit bottom by falling 22% year-on-year, but from June onwards, smaller falls began to be reported and in October the decline was barely 1%; however, in November the country fell back by 12%. National production, measured through the original series of the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE), reflected a 12% year-on-year decrease in November 2020, determined by the negative impact of the pandemic, to which was added the losses in production due to the flooding caused in the national territory in the first half of November by the occurrence of tropical storms Eta and Iota.
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Palm Oil: $336 Million in Regional SalesFriday, January 15, 2021 From January to June 2020, exports from Central America of palm oil and its derivatives totaled $336 million, an amount barely 1% higher than that reported for the same period in 2019. Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graph"] Flying Locust: Damage Reported in GuatemalaFriday, January 15, 2021 Due to the new outbreak of flying locusts, farmers in the department of Peten report that the pest has destroyed large areas of corn and bean crops. Days ago, the International Regional Organization for Agricultural Health (OIRSA) warned that a locust swarm entered Guatemala from the border area with Yucatan, Mexico.
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Pet Food: Purchases Increase 18%Monday, January 11, 2021 From January to June 2020, companies in the region imported $110 million in dog and cat food, 18% more than the same period in 2019, a rise that is explained by the increase in purchases in all Central American markets. Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"]
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Vegetables: Sales to the U.S. up 67%.Tuesday, January 12, 2021 From January to June 2020, Central American vegetable exports totaled $168 million, and sales to U.S. companies grew by 67% when compared to exports in the same period in 2019. Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graph"] Crop Pests: El Salvador on AlertWednesday, January 13, 2021 After reports of flying locusts entering Guatemala from the border area with the Yucatan, Mexico, Salvadoran authorities have declared themselves on alert because of the threat they could represent to local crops. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) is prepared to face the threat of a flying locust (Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons) that could cause damage or loss to crops in our territory, details an official statement dated January 12, 2021. Liquor, Curfews and SmugglingWednesday, January 13, 2021 As a result of the restrictions on mobility and the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages, which were decreed in 2020 to mitigate the outbreak of covid-19, it is estimated that the smuggling of liquor from Mexico into the Guatemalan market increased considerably. According to the report Prohibitions, illicit alcohol and lessons to be learned from the covid-19 lockdown, prepared by the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (Tracit), the dry law imposed for long periods boosted sales of smuggled alcoholic beverages. Economic Recovery: Costa Rica StagnatesTuesday, January 12, 2021 In the context of the pandemic, the Costa Rican economy does not show clear signs of recovery, since during November 2020 the Monthly Index of Economic Activity reported an annual fall of 6.2%, a decline that is similar to that reported in October when it was 6.3%. In November, the contraction persisted, in year-on-year terms, in most economic activities. The most affected are: hotels and restaurants (-52.3%), transportation and storage (-20.6%), construction (-19.7%) and commerce (-12.4%), reported the Central Bank of Costa Rica. Electronic Phytosanitary Certification in Costa RicaFriday, January 8, 2021 Since December 2020, exporters and importers of plant products will be able to process certifications digitally with the Costa Rican authorities. The digitalization process modernizes the way of trade, makes it faster and more reliable and eliminates the use of paper, simplifying procedures, reducing time and costs, explains a statement from the State Phytosanitary Service (SFE).
MARKET STUDY
Rice: Regional Imports Up 50%Wednesday, December 23, 2020 In the first half of 2020, Central America spent $206 million on rice imports, 50% more than in the same period in 2019, with Honduras, Panama, El Salvador and Guatemala being the markets that boosted the increase in purchases. Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"] Restaurants: Strategies for the New YearTuesday, December 22, 2020 Betting on sales through digital channels, offering dishes at more accessible prices and carrying out promotions are some of the strategies that some casual dining restaurants that compete in the Costa Rican market seek to apply. The spread of covid-19 severely affected the restaurant sector, especially businesses that did not sell through digital channels or did not have options to deliver their products to their homes. |
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