Browse Honduras Daily Stories

Investment Minister Epaminondas Marinakys reported that Honduras recorded about $600 million in reinvestment during the first six months of 2026, with several companies preparing expansion projects and the government targeting $2 billion annually in coming years through energy reforms and improved legal certainty.

The president of Honduras's rice growers' association said the 2026 harvest will reach only about 350,000 quintals (roughly 15,800 metric tons), half the Agriculture Ministry's projection of 700,000, citing El Niño damage, rising input costs, and weak government support.

Danilo José Lou, director of Honduras's consumer-protection agency, said officials are requesting cost data and invoices from companies selling the 30 basic goods in the consumer basket to verify whether price increases are justified, especially ahead of the December holiday season.

Egg carton prices have jumped by up to 27 lempiras (about $1.08) in recent months, a rise that former Honduran Press Association president Osman Reyes says is eroding Hondurans' purchasing power.

Economist Fredy Tejada cautioned that Honduras faces obstacles in its sixth IMF agreement review, citing high current spending, budget execution below 50%, unfulfilled commitments to cut public-sector payroll, persistent inflation, and ongoing losses at the state electricity company.

Following an IMF recommendation, Honduras's central bank will progressively reopen the interbank foreign-exchange market, allowing private banks to manage a portion of currency trading, with authorities still determining the initial percentage and success depending on exchange-rate stability.

The STENEE electrical workers' union says the International Monetary Fund's evaluation of Honduras should build on the recent power-sector reform law, which the union argues removed legal barriers to needed institutional investment and allowed ENEE to establish internal oversight and a structured loss-reduction plan.

Former Finance Minister Christian Duarte cautioned that the proposed 2027 budget cuts productive investment by 8 billion lempiras (about $320 million) while raising payroll spending, risking economic harm for Hondurans.

René Alfaro, a former ENEE administrator, says Honduras's energy reforms have not yet produced tangible results and warns that tying financing to five-year loss-reduction targets lacks technical clarity and could hamper the state power utility's recovery.

Economist Rubén Darío Sorto warns that Honduras's diplomatic switch to mainland China has disrupted retail trade, calling the resulting shift in the trade balance with China 'brutal' for the Honduran economy.

Economist Sergio Zepeda says Honduras maintains stable macroeconomic conditions backed by foreign-exchange generation and international reserves ahead of the sixth and final International Monetary Fund review, but cautioned that gains must translate into concrete improvements in employment, poverty reduction, and living standards.

Economist Ismael Zepeda warned that high inflation is directly weakening Hondurans' purchasing power and slowing domestic consumption, forcing families to choose between paying utilities, buying food, and purchasing fuel.

The World Bank projects Honduras will grow 3.4% this year, placing it sixth among Central American and Caribbean nations in the Sica system, behind the Dominican Republic (4.7%) and El Salvador (4.5%).

The director of Consumer Protection said inspectors are conducting volume tests at fuel stations to verify that gas pumps dispense the stated amount, and checking that LPG cylinders contain correct volumes and that the diesel tax cut is applied countrywide.

Finance Minister Emilio Hernández Hércules says the government is reviewing the current budget to reduce operational spending and redirect funds to investment, with electronic invoicing planned for 2027 to curb tax evasion.

Fausto Cálix, former Customs director and Libre party leader, claims a new technical standard for imported cement is eliminating competition from China, raising domestic prices from 160–180 lempiras per bag to around 230 lempiras and harming the construction sector.

Fernando García, president of the National Industrialists Association, called on the government to pursue long-term structural reforms—improving roads, overhauling public transport, and controlling subsidies—rather than temporary measures to address rising fuel costs.

Economist Ismael Zepeda criticized the government's new $177 million CAF loan for the energy sector, arguing it contradicts recent reforms meant to attract private investment and warning that the debt burden will fall on consumers rather than private utilities.

Vice Minister of Coffee José Francisco Ordóñez said drought damage will force Honduras to reduce projected coffee exports to 7 million quintals (about 315,000 metric tons) in 2027, with one million quintals diverted to domestic consumption due to quality losses, though the government will invest 53 million lempiras (about $2.1 million) in farm support and road repairs.

Migration expert Ilich Cornejo says family remittances to Honduras are rising and projects the year will end with inflows exceeding $12 billion.

The president of Honduras's banking regulator highlighted the importance of national capacity-building and regional cooperation to combat money laundering, terrorism financing, and weapons proliferation, citing the Fifth Round of Mutual Evaluations as a key accountability measure.

Darwin Ponce, president of the consumer advocacy group Artículo 19, says Honduras lacks adequate fuel-storage capacity, forcing weekly purchases at current prices instead of buying in bulk when prices are lower.

The head of Honduras's fuel distributors association says the country lacks a national energy policy and reacts to crises rather than planning ahead, warning that fuel strategy is critical to economic stability.

The president of Honduras's taxi association said lawmakers gave no response to the industry's demands for relief from high fuel prices after a meeting at Congress.

Ana Belinda Valenzuela, commissioner of Honduras's land-transport institute, said meetings at the Energy Ministry will continue to examine how fuel prices are calculated in the country.

The government and the Association of Agro-industrialists (Ashda) agreed Monday on a roadmap to streamline production financing through the national development bank (Banhprovi), stabilize fuel prices, and strengthen legal protections for the agricultural sector.

The director of Honduras's fuel distributors' association warned that volatile international oil markets make fuel prices unpredictable and urged week-to-week analysis, noting that high costs disproportionately harm low-income households and the national oil import bill could exceed $3 billion by year-end.

Honduras has received over $8 billion in family remittances so far in 2026, bolstering international reserves and macroeconomic stability, though an economist warns that dependence on these flows leaves the economy vulnerable to shifts in migration policy or conditions for Hondurans abroad.

A former president of Honduras's economists' association said the government's decision to raise the fuel subsidy from 50% to 65% warrants scrutiny given global oil prices exceeding $100 per barrel, and cautioned that prolonged subsidies strain public finances.

An energy analyst warns Honduras could face an unfavorable International Monetary Fund evaluation because state utility ENEE has failed to meet targets for reducing electricity distribution losses, a goal tied to the country's IMF program.