El Salvador: Honey No Longer Profitable

The value of honey exports fell by 80% in the first four months of the harvest from 2015 to 2016, and the volume decreased by 70%.

Honey exports in El Salvador fell by 70% between November 2015 and February 2016 compared to the same period previously. The fall has been explained by the effects of drought, but more particularly by the low international price of honey, well below the production costs per hundredweight, according to the Center for Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education (Catie) published by Elmundo.sv. Beekeeping cooperatives have received offers of $55 per hundredweight, which contrast with the $125 offered in 2015.

"... The value of exports of Salvadoran honey fell by more than 80% in the first four months of the 2015-2016 harvest period, according to foreign trade figures from the Central Reserve Bank (BCR). Between November 2015 and February this year, shipments totaled $326,489.42, while between November 2014 and February 2015, they exceeded $1.7 million. "

"... If the estimate is in kilograms, honey exports fell by more than 70%, going from 455,000 kilograms in November 2014 to February 2015, to 115 thousand kilograms from November 2015 to February this year. One of the destinations that showed a decline in recent months was Europe, which is the main consumer for this product, according to the Ministry of Economy ".

Source: Elmundo.su