Browse Data and Analysis

Record-high remittances continue to boost consumer spending in 2024. U.S. agricultural exports to Nicaragua through September 2024 are up four percent compared to the same period in 2023.

In June 2024, the Nicaraguan Institute of Agricultural Protection and Health (IPSA) issued an executive resolution to strengthen the risk mitigation measures for the monitoring and testing of GE grains.

Access to the benefits of modern agricultural biotechnology in the Caribbean Basin remains stifled by the unfinished work of implementing a science-based, risk-management approach to regulate its use.

Consumer trends in Nicaragua are shifting towards modern retail channels as remittance flows increase. Supermarkets are expanding rapidly, with one grocery store chain opening eight new locations in 2024.

In the Caribbean region, sales value in the retail grocery sector increased by 3 percent in 2023. This is due in part to the rise in tourism in many markets, which is boosting economic growth. The largest grocery retail markets are Trinidad and Tobago, Guadeloupe, and the Bahamas.

This report provides information on export certification requirements for U.S. food and agricultural exports to Nicaragua. There were no significant changes to required export certificates since the 2023 report.

This report describes Nicaraguan regulatory requirements and import procedures for food and agricultural products. As of June 2024, there had been no major changes to the regulatory regime since the 2023 report.

As tourists flock back to the Caribbean in larger numbers and island economies regain their footing after being challenged by global inflation, competition, and other headwinds, opportunities for U.S. suppliers are slowly emerging. While hurdles remain present on the horizon, U.S. suppliers are finding resilient Caribbean buyers to be excellent partners on the road to commercial success.

The Nicaraguan Institute of Agricultural Protection and Health enforces a unique interpretation of a regional technical food safety regulation for imported meat that occasionally results in rejections of U.S. pork and chicken meat shipments. This...

FAS/Managua anticipates coffee production in marketing year 2024/25 to rebound to 2.6 million 60-kilogram bags, as a return to average precipitation levels should support historical average yields.

Nicaragua reported an outbreak of New World screwworm to the World Organization for Animal Health following confirmation of a sample collected on March 12, 2024. Nicaragua is the largest cattle producer in Central America and last detected screwworm in 1996.

FAS/Managua anticipates a drop in sugarcane production in marketing year 2024/25, as increased precipitation, which could be exacerbated by a La Niña weather cycle in the second half of 2024, brings agricultural and industrial yields closer to historical levels.