Nicaragua registers about 35,000 tons of sugar sent to China between January 1 and 20 this month, demonstrating how this Central American nation consolidates today as an important trading partner of the Asian giant.
According to the Pastrán Report newsletter, the amount of this product exported so far to the Asian nation exceeds 50 percent of the quota set out in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), signed between the two countries, which amounts to 50 thousand tons per year.
The publication referred to recent statements by the Director of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Commerce (Mific), Maricruz Prieto, who pointed out that until 20 this month shipments abroad amount to $23.6 million, representing almost 50 percent of total exports of 2023.
According to the source, the Mific, in collaboration with the Institute for Agricultural Protection and Health (IPSA), carried out a comprehensive outreach plan to inform sectors interested in exporting to China, including coffee, aquaculture, beef, agro-industry and the sugar sector.
In addition, it was known that IPSA provides accompaniment to producers and agro-industries to ensure compliance with the requirements established by China’s national laws and quality standards.
Nicaragua exports to the Asian nation in addition to sugar, shrimp, coffee, textiles, oils, sea cucumbers, fish and gold, whose products mostly enter under the FTA initialled last January.
For the Mific staff member, the FTA provides an opportunity to trade between the two parties with tariff reductions, items that can be exported to the Chinese market or imported to Nicaraguan with zero percent tariff.
This article has been translated from the original which first appeared in El Pais