Browse Honduras Daily Stories

Honduras deposited its ratification of the ICSID convention on July 17, becoming the 159th state to join the World Bank dispute-settlement mechanism for foreign-investment disputes, effective August 16.

Union leader Evangelina Argueta warned that potential US tariffs on Honduran textile exports could raise production costs and threaten thousands of jobs in an industry already reeling from 60,000 layoffs, and called for urgent tripartite talks between government, workers, and employers.

Vendors at the Feria del Agricultor are absorbing a recent L2-per-pound cost rise to keep beef prices stable, though drought threatening cattle feed may force adjustments in coming weeks.

The private-sector business council says Honduras should borrow the $400 million CAF financing to strengthen the housing bank and spur construction, but opposes debt used only to cover government operating costs.

The head of Honduras's apparel manufacturers association is calling on the government to negotiate zero tariffs with the United States for agricultural goods and auto parts, matching Mexico's treatment, to boost competitiveness as the Trump administration considers new trade measures.

The Agriculture Ministry convened dairy-industry leaders to review production challenges, market stability, and supply strategies, with officials reporting that Honduras produces roughly 1.7 million liters of milk daily and prices remain stable through July.

Economist Julio Raudales says the Central Bank of Honduras's inflation target of 5–6% is reachable if monetary policy remains disciplined and external shocks do not occur, though he cautions that balancing price control with economic growth remains a key challenge.

Honduras's labor federations say they will immediately seek a minimum-wage adjustment if inflation reaches 7%, invoking a safeguard clause in the current wage agreement, citing rising fuel and food costs eroding workers' purchasing power.

A 10% US tariff on Honduran imports expires July 24, and while an economist says he hopes the United States will lift the duties to strengthen trade relations, he warns that the Trump administration may pursue new protectionist measures that could raise consumer prices.

Honduras is projected to export more than 7 million 100-pound sacks of coffee this season, generating $2.2–2.3 billion in revenue, boosted by strong international prices and demand from the US and Europe, though financing and infrastructure remain key challenges for the sector.

Honduras will host the Central American Beekeeping Congress from July 22–24 in Comayagua, bringing together producers and specialists from seven countries to share techniques and technologies; the country's 3,800 organized beekeepers manage about 40,000 hives and produce over 800,000 kg of honey annually.

Remittances to Honduras rose 13.2% to $5.29 billion in the first five months of 2026, the fastest growth among the three Northern Triangle countries, according to International Organization for Migration data.

A UNAH researcher warns that 750,000 Hondurans face severe food insecurity in July–August, while 1.4 million more experience moderate insecurity, with drought and flooding threatening to worsen the crisis.

The president of Tegucigalpa's Chamber of Commerce and Industries says Honduras's newly approved part-time employment law is a step forward but contains ambiguities that limit its effectiveness, and urges government, Congress, and stakeholders to form a dialogue table to strengthen and clarify the law through consensus.

Eastern Honduras onion producers, numbering about 3,000, warn they will resume street protests if the government does not enforce an agreement that limits imports and protects domestic growers from falling prices and lost sales.

The head of the Cortés Chamber of Commerce called for stronger vocational and technical training to match Honduras's labor-market needs, ahead of a July 17 Employability Summit bringing together private companies, schools, and government officials.

Dante Mossi, former president of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, says the government lacks a public strategy to manage ENEE's $1 billion debt to power generators, a $700 million sovereign bond due in January 2027, and roughly $3 billion in stalled infrastructure projects including roads, dams, and hospitals.

Honduras received $6.51 billion in family remittances in the first six months of 2026, a 12.3% increase from the same period in 2025, with over 85% coming from the United States and mothers receiving 38.6% of the total.

The Honduran fuel distributors' association says price reductions take longer to reach consumers than increases because of volatile global markets, summer demand surges abroad, and geopolitical uncertainty around Middle Eastern shipping routes.

A Fosdeh economist warns that roughly 37 billion lempiras in unaccounted money emitted by the previous administration could stoke inflation, though he notes that inflation stems from multiple causes including import dependence, fuel costs, and climate-driven agricultural shortfalls.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cortés warned that international companies have suspended investment plans in Honduras pending the outcome of U.S. tariff negotiations, citing concern that a 10% tariff and potential further restrictions could push capital to competing Central American countries and hurt the manufacturing and job sectors.

The Central Bank of Honduras released its updated 2026–2027 monetary program, projecting inflation will converge to its 4.0% ± 1 percentage-point target by December 2026 and tightening money-supply measures to combat price pressures that reached 5.83% in June.