Browse Honduras Daily Stories

Honduras's merchandise exports reached $3.61 billion in the first three months of 2026, a 11.5% year-on-year increase driven by coffee, apparel manufacturing, bananas, and palm oil, according to an Inter-American Development Bank report.

Deputy Finance Minister Liliam Rivera said the National Treasury faces critical strain from automatic debt payments linked to lawsuits from the prior administration, combined with obligations to multilateral lenders and a floating debt exceeding 24 billion lempiras (about $960 million).

Roberto Lagos, president of Honduras's central bank, says failure to approve an energy sector reform will perpetuate ENEE's structural problems, mounting debt, and operational losses, and has secured backing from international multilateral organizations.

A consumer-advocacy group reported that at least 16 staple foods rose in price over the weekend, with beans reaching 120 lempiras (about $4.80) per measure and eggs up to 110 lempiras (about $4.40) per carton, alongside price increases in chayote, potatoes, peppers, and broccoli, blamed on weather, inflation, and Middle East conflicts.

Honduran bank liquidity reached L195.9 billion (about $7.8 billion) in March 2026 as deposits continued to grow faster than the credit portfolio, leaving lenders with excess funds that could boost lending later in the year if loan demand increases.

Finance Minister Emilio Hernández and Central Bank President Roberto Lagos signed a letter of intent to the IMF ahead of the June 29 board review, with officials saying approval could unlock about $240 million in fresh funds and help stabilize the economy.

Former Central American Bank president Dante Mossi cautioned that a proposed reform to exclude bonuses from income tax (ISR) calculations would create tax-evasion opportunities and reduce government revenue, reversing two decades of IMF-backed reforms.

Honduras's business council endorsed the government's proposed energy reforms but called for stronger legal protections, independent regulators, and a phased breakup of the state utility ENEE to reduce technical losses and attract investment.

Honduras's fuel subsidy has already cost 860 million lempiras (about $34.5 million) against a budgeted 680 million, with full-year costs projected at 1.2–1.3 billion lempiras, prompting the Finance Ministry to plan internal budget adjustments and consider narrowing the subsidy to lower-income households.

The Central Bank reported private-sector savings surpassed 681.7 billion lempiras as of late May 2026, up 13.9% year-over-year, driven primarily by household deposits and growing confidence in the financial system.

Congress is considering a reform to exclude performance bonuses, gratuities, and overtime pay from income-tax calculations, a move an economist says would reward worker effort but warns could enable tax evasion without proper state oversight.

Business leaders warn that persistent inflation and rising energy costs remain the top concerns for Honduras's economy, with April's year-over-year inflation reaching 5.56% and Middle East instability driving up fuel prices.

Honduras has renewed 70,000 acres of coffee plants through a program coordinated by the Agriculture Ministry and the Institute for Honduran Coffee, with officials projecting output will rise to 7 million quintals this harvest from 6.14 million the prior year.

Honduras faces potential US tariffs of 10–12.5% if a US trade office investigation finds forced labor in supply chains, though the government says no specific cases have been identified and frames compliance as an opportunity to strengthen labor inspection and supply-chain transparency.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina warned that Honduras faces a prolonged dry season exceeding two months due to El Niño, threatening grain production and food security, though the government has allocated 1.5 billion lempiras in production incentives and will provide technical support to farmers.

The vice president of the Tegucigalpa Chamber of Commerce warned that while Honduras has made macroeconomic progress, inflation, insecurity, unemployment, and extortion continue to prevent those gains from improving living standards for ordinary Hondurans.

Domestic rice output has fallen below 500,000 quintals against annual demand of 6 million, leaving Honduras to import roughly 90% of its supply from the US, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Honduras imported 6.97 million barrels of fuel in the first three months of 2026, worth $608.2 million, a 5.8% increase from the same period last year, driven by higher demand for diesel and gasoline for vehicles and thermal power generation.

A UNAH finance professor says remittances—about 30% of GDP—sustain Honduras's currency market and millions of families but are mostly spent on consumption rather than productive investment, and the country should redirect them toward long-term economic growth.