Browse Honduras Daily Stories

José Castañeda, president of Honduras's small and medium enterprise federation, argues that weak domestic production and outdated economic policies—not Chinese immigrants—are the real obstacles to Honduran competitiveness, as Congress investigates the entry of approximately 13,000 Asian citizens since 2022.

The Trump administration announced it will keep a 10% tariff on goods from Honduras and 59 other countries, citing insufficient efforts to prevent forced labor in their exports.

Cohep President Anabel Gallardo said Honduras escaped an additional 2.5% tariff hike from the United States but warned that some sectors still face 10% duties and need continued trade negotiations to improve conditions.

The Trump administration announced new tariffs of 10–12.5% on imports from 60 countries, citing insufficient efforts against forced labor; Honduras faces a 10% additional tariff alongside Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

Presidential trade commissioner Melvin Redondo said Honduras has complied with legal requirements in a US tariff review affecting 17–20% of exports and has passed a decree banning imports from forced-labor conditions to avoid a potential 12.5% increase.

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.

Coffee businessman Basilio Fuschich said a proposed additional 2.5% US tariff on products from countries with forced labor would, combined with existing tariffs, harm Honduras's exports and give competitors an unfair advantage unless applied uniformly across the region.

The government and private-sector leaders, including Cohep president Anabel Gallardo, have lobbied US officials to prevent tariff increases, warning that higher duties on maquila and coffee exports would cost jobs and drive migration.

The United States will impose tariffs of at least 2.5% on about 60 countries, including Honduras, citing forced labor and child labor in supply chains; the measure threatens Honduran exports of coffee, melons, and lobster, which face existing duties ranging from 10% to 25%.

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.

Honduras's government is lobbying to be excluded from new US tariffs threatening 12% duties on key exports, arguing the country meets US labor and human-rights standards and that about 600,000 jobs depend on market access.