Nicaraguan exports outweigh remittances, says economist (Nica Times)

Submitted by dixietraveller on 17 April, 2008 - 05:31.

By Blake Schmidt, Nica Times Staff - Exports, which reached a record $1.26 billion in 2007, have become the driving force of Nicaragua's economy, overtaking remittances and foreign aid, according to economist Francisco Mayorga. . . . Even amid a U.S. recession, he predicts, commodity prices will remain high for several years and help to fuel Nicaragua's export growth, which he expects to exceed $2 billion by 2010.

For full report, go to http://www.ticotimes.net/dailyarchive/2008_04/0416082.htm

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Drug market

Submitted by fyl on 17 April, 2008 - 06:42.

While Colombia clearly has an export advantage with cocaine which gets a higher price than most exports from Latin America and seems to be tax-free, the rising price of Nicaragua's drug, coffee, has got to be helping.

We have been working with a "coffee engineer" on our plants. We have about 2 manzanas of coffee but only 4300 plants. He says you can space plants every 1.5 varas which should mean 5000 plants/manzana. And each plant should produce about 1 lb. of coffee.

While coffee is something we want to serve in the restaurant--not a core business--10,000 lbs/year is not chicken feed with Nicaragua's labor costs. And 2 manzanas is not very much land.