Aquaculture

China's embassy delivered 32.6 tons of shrimp feed to 20 small and mid-sized aquaculture producers in southern Honduras, part of a program targeting 1,500–2,000 tons of Honduran shrimp exports to China in 2026 and including technical training and solar-energy adoption.

A severe drought in southern Honduras forced 214 shrimp farms to suspend operations, prompting the National Aquaculture Association to cut its 2026 production target from 159 million to 146 million pounds as high temperatures and prolonged low rainfall raised Gulf of Fonseca salinity levels.

The Agriculture Ministry has invested L2.5 million (about $100,000) to reopen a tilapia fingerling facility in Comayagua that will supply juveniles to fish farmers at 50 cents per unit, aiming to lower startup costs and boost regional aquaculture production.

Honduras has launched a shrimp-export initiative with China that aims to send over 100 shipping containers by year-end, projected to generate more than 350 million lempiras (about $14 million) in foreign exchange while establishing a consistent supply to the Chinese market.

Honduras's shrimp producers face mounting losses from drought-driven higher salinity in ponds, production costs up 15–18%, and depressed international prices worsened by Ecuadorian oversupply, threatening employment in the southern region.

The National Congress established a special commission to develop legislative reforms for Honduras's shrimp industry, which employs 25,000 directly and 100,000 indirectly but has lost over 10,000 jobs since Taiwan relations ended and production costs rose.

Three years after Honduras severed ties with Taiwan to establish relations with China, the southern shrimp sector remains in deep crisis; exports fell from $285 million in 2022 to $237 million in 2024, with over 250 farms idle and thousands of jobs lost.

Honduras exported 29.4 million pounds of farmed shrimp worth $113.1 million in the first five months of 2026, up 10.5% in value from the same 2025 period, with 58% of exports being value-added processed product.