Browse Honduras Daily Stories

The Central Bank auctioned $82.7 million in its daily currency sale on July 9, setting the official exchange rate at L26.7528 per dollar for July 10.

Roberto Lagos, president of the Central Bank of Honduras, said July inflation data should show a deceleration, and the bank will review monetary-policy instruments to reduce excess money supply without harming credit growth, which has risen 6.7% in the first seven months of 2026.

Honduras expects to earn $2.4 billion from coffee exports by September 30, when the current coffee year ends, with 6.8 million quintals already shipped and 120,000 producers supporting roughly one million jobs across the sector.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $92.1 million in its July 8 foreign-exchange sale, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.7494 per dollar for July 9.

A year-long drought has reduced agricultural supply and driven up prices for everyday produce, with the basic food basket rising 6.16% (about 800 lempiras / $30) since June 2025, and the food-security observatory warning that 2.8 million Hondurans could face food insecurity by year-end.

Honduras's public-sector workers' union (ANDEPH) is preparing a formal proposal to the government for a 3,000-lempira (about $120) salary increase for roughly 120,000 state employees, citing a year without significant raises and inflation exceeding 4.5%.

Former president of Honduras's economists' association Liliana Castillo projects the lempira could depreciate to 27 per US dollar by September if it continues declining at its current rate of about 6 centavos monthly, a gradual depreciation she says would cushion domestic prices better than a sharper drop.

The organization Sendas warned that Honduras's planned electricity-sector reform needs a dedicated, autonomous administrator with real decision-making power to implement structural changes, noting that fragmented responsibility across multiple agencies and weak institutional continuity have hindered past efforts.

Frequent blackouts across Honduras are causing daily losses to small and medium-sized businesses, with some municipalities reporting up to 14 outages daily and Congress stalled on energy reforms.

The government announced L64.3 million (about $2.6 million) in financing through the Comrural rural competitiveness program to support salt producers' development and working capital needs.

Family remittances to Honduras reached $11.9 billion in 2025, benefiting 3.1 million recipients and representing 30% of GDP, though growth rates are slowing compared to 2024.

The private-sector business council estimates that power outages—averaging 21,200 hours of unmet demand annually—cost Honduras about L1.2 billion (roughly $48 million) per year in lost productivity, equipment damage, and generator expenses, while the government pushes stalled reforms to strengthen the state electricity utility.

Agriculture authorities will allow only processed pork products from disease-free zones in Spain, maintaining a ban on fresh pork imports to protect domestic producers and prevent disease entry.

The Inter-American Development Bank ranked Honduras among the region's fastest-growing exporters in early 2026, led by coffee, apparel manufacturing, bananas, and palm oil, though it warned of risks from market volatility and rising costs.

The Central Bank of Honduras sold $98.5 million in its July 7 currency auction, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.7474 per dollar for July 8.

From January to March 2026, demand for concrete blocks (93.6%), aluminum-zinc roofing (84.1%), and ceramic tile (55.1%) drove increased production of cement, rebar, and concrete in Honduras's private construction sector.

Honduras is under pressure to meet a 1% fiscal-deficit target in its International Monetary Fund agreement, with economists warning that maintaining the goal will be one of its toughest challenges to preserve the IMF's confidence and safeguard economic credibility.

Honduras shipped $3.61 billion in goods in the first three months of 2026, an 11.5% year-over-year increase led by coffee, apparel manufacturing, bananas, and palm oil, according to the Inter-American Development Bank.

The Honduran lempira has depreciated to over 26.87 per dollar in sales, with economists and civil organizations warning that the currency weakness is driving inflation and raising the cost of living.

Honduras's basic food basket jumped 800 lempiras (about $32) in a year, a 6.16% increase driven by higher meat and fruit costs, while drought affecting 75 municipalities threatens to push 2.8 million Hondurans into food insecurity by year's end.

The government approved imports of corn, beans, and rice to manage domestic supply and control prices amid drought, while the agriculture ministry pursues higher-yield rice seeds to boost national production.

The Central Bank president says Honduras's electricity crisis is the main brake on economic growth, limiting expansion to roughly 3.5% annually without reform, and that fixing the power sector would free public funds for health and education while attracting investment.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina announced that Honduras will import 100,000 quintals (about 4,500 metric tons) of beans from Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Brazil to offset a drought-driven 40% drop in domestic production and stabilize prices for a staple of the Honduran diet.

Sergio Zepeda, an economist at the National Autonomous University of Honduras, says roughly 90% of remittances entering Honduras are spent on consumption while only 10% goes to savings or investment, with most spending concentrated in major cities.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $83.6 million in its July 6 currency sale, setting the weighted-average exchange rate at L 26.7383 per dollar for July 7.

The Honduran central bank will overhaul its monetary program following the IMF's successful review of Honduras's economic plan, which unlocks a disbursement of roughly $240 million and aims to move toward a more flexible exchange market while maintaining inflation control.

A think tank says Honduras's state power utility loses about 15 billion lempiras (roughly $600 million) a year, blamed on political interference rather than operational needs, as Congress debates an overhaul bill opposed by some lawmakers who fear weakening the company's market role.

The government said strategic bean reserves held by the agricultural marketing institute exceed storage targets by 10–15%, ensuring adequate supply despite drought, and has identified potential import suppliers as a backup plan.

The head of Honduras's land-transport authority said the government may call taxi operators to negotiate a rollback of the L5 provisional fare increase granted during higher fuel prices, if pump prices continue to decline.

Through March 2026, residential construction remained the largest component of private building activity, with increases in new homes registered in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and Juticalpa.