Browse Honduras Daily Stories

An estimated 80% of Honduran farmers operate outside the formal economy, leaving them unable to access regulated credit and forcing many to rely on informal lenders at unfavorable rates, a business leader says.

Honduras's agriculture, fishing, forestry, and livestock sector grew 4.8%, led by crops of coffee, bananas, and fruit, with additional gains from shrimp and tilapia fishing, livestock, and poultry.

Dairy producers in Catacamas, Olancho, say they receive only 10–11 lempiras per liter (about $0.40–$0.44) while production costs have risen, and are calling on the Agriculture Ministry to support the sector or risk losing producers.

Agriculture Ministry plans to invest 350–400 million lempiras (roughly $14–16 million) in a nationwide irrigation program to install over 500 drip-irrigation systems, drill wells, and rehabilitate existing infrastructure, targeting 800–900 farmers across drought-prone regions including the dry corridor and benefiting an estimated 1,600 hectares.

Rice producers warn the 2026 harvest could fall to just 150,000–160,000 quintals (about 6,800–7,300 metric tons), down from 446,000 in 2025, due to lack of price supports and competition from imports, leaving farmers unable to finance seeds and inputs.

Rice growers in Colón say mechanized land remains unseeded due to lack of financing, crop insurance, and guaranteed prices, threatening to reduce output below 2026 targets.

Honduras is hosting the 68th annual meeting of the Central American cooperative program for crop and livestock improvement in Tela from September 28 to October 2, bringing together over 150 research projects aimed at boosting food production amid climate challenges.

Agricultural producers say the fall planting season faces obstacles without adequate financing, crop insurance, and climate protections, with fears of reduced acreage and threats to grain supplies as drought continues to damage current crops.

The president of Honduras's grain producers association is urging Congress to exempt the 15% tax on grain drying, citing a sharp rise in production costs and the impact on over a million quintals (about 45,000 metric tons) ahead of the September harvest season.

Ocotepeque farmers asked agricultural authorities to establish regulations on potato and onion sales to combat illegal imports that undercut domestic prices; the Agriculture Ministry is drafting new rules and plans to provide fertilizer support.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina says Honduras faces no food shortage and markets are adequately stocked despite recent weather damage, with new harvests expected from mid-September onward.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina ruled out a famine despite what he called the worst drought on record hitting 75 municipalities, saying Honduras has sufficient food stocks and future grain contracts, even as local mayors report total crop losses and hundreds of cattle deaths.

Adverse weather and crop failures in Piraera, Lempira are forcing agricultural families to sell livestock to cover basic needs, prompting the mayor to call on the government for rural support.

A National Congress member from Yoro requested urgent intervention from the Agriculture Ministry to address severe drought in the Alto Aguán region of Olanchito, where lack of rainfall has depleted livestock feed and threatened cattle producers' livelihoods.

Honduras unveiled a 2026–2030 incentive strategy for agriculture with FAO support, aiming to attract investment, create jobs, incorporate technology, and boost competitiveness in a sector that contributes 13% of GDP and over a third of exports.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization called on Central American countries to strengthen strategic grain reserves to protect food security during the expected 2026–2027 El Niño, which forecasters say will bring reduced rainfall, more frequent droughts, and crop damage across the region.

The government, agro-industry, and producer associations agreed on a bulk purchase price of 680 lempiras per quintal (about $27 per 100 lb) of white corn for the 2026–2027 agricultural cycle, with agro-industrial buyers committing to purchase 880,000 to 1.4 million quintals.

The agricultural marketing institute reports Honduras holds 120,000 quintals (about 5,400 metric tons) of beans in reserve and rules out imports for now, citing adequate stocks and new harvests expected within 45 days from multiple regions despite ongoing dry conditions.

Credit to Honduras's private sector is growing, with most new lending to businesses concentrated in services, real estate, and agriculture, the Central Bank reports.

President Nasry Asfura announced $17 million in additional funding to expand ProOccidente, a rural development program, into Honduras's Dry Corridor, aiming to provide technical assistance, climate-smart technologies, financing, and market access to over 4,500 small and medium-sized farmers.

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.

Honduran onion producers say they may suspend planting next season if the government fails to enforce a 2023 agricultural decree that restricts imports when local supplies are sufficient, warning of potential national shortages and market disruption.

The Agriculture Ministry called together the National Dairy Commission to review milk-sector conditions, price trends, and develop joint strategies between producers and industry to ensure steady national milk supply.

Honduras's agricultural sector expanded 4.5%, driven by increased coffee, banana, fruit, and palm oil production, while fishing grew on higher shrimp and tilapia exports.

Honduras is planting 1,000 manzanas (about 700 hectares) with high-yield certified rice seed imported from the Dominican Republic in a pilot program costing roughly 5 million lempiras (about $187,000) to improve grain quality and reduce import dependence.

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.

Engineer Dulio Medina warned Honduras faces a food crisis without a clear agricultural strategy, citing low valley output and rural farming deficits.

Prices for vegetables and legumes at Tegucigalpa's Feria del Agricultor have risen sharply—potatoes up 2 lempiras per pound, broccoli up 5, and red onions up 10–20—as drought in major farming zones like Lepaterique has cut production.

Engineer Dulio Medina cautioned that Honduras faces a possible shortage of beans and other staple grains after drought and planting failures in Olancho and El Paraíso reduced crop supply for coming weeks.

A month-long drought has cut crop yields across key farming regions and pushed vegetable prices sharply higher at Tegucigalpa's main produce market, with merchants warning of further increases if rains do not return.