According to the U.N. international trade statistics, countries in Central America imported 112,000 metric tons (MT) of fresh onions and shallots in 2017, valued at $27 million. In the five-year period from 2013 to 2017, the annual volume of imports averaged 110,000 MT. The Netherlands and Mexico are the key suppliers of fresh onions from outside Central America, while Guatemala is the largest regional exporter. In 2017, the Netherlands and Guatemala each exported 39,000 MT to the region, which represented 70 percent of all imports. Mexico exported 18,000 MT (15 percent).
El Salvador is the largest importer of fresh onions in the region. In 2017, the country imported 42,000 MT. Guatemala supplied 70 percent of those imports, and Mexico supplied 24 percent. Between 2013 and 2017, imports of fresh onions by El Salvador grew at an average annual rate of 7.5 percent.
Although Guatemala is an important exporter in the region, the country is also the second largest importer. Guatemala imported only 10,000 MT in 2017, but the five-year annual average was 24,000 MT. A vast majority of Guatemalan imports were supplied by Mexico.
Nicaragua is the third largest importer in the region. Between 2013 and 2017, the volume of imports grew at an average annual rate of over 10 percent. In 2017, Nicaragua imported 22,000 MT, and the Netherlands accounted for almost 60 percent of those imports. Other suppliers included Guatemala, China and Peru.
In 2017, Panama imported 19,000 MT, and shipments from the Netherlands accounted for over 65 percent of those imports, followed by the U.S., Chile and Peru. Honduras imported 14,000 MT of fresh onions, Belize 2,900 MT and Costa Rica 900 MT.
Despite several free trade agreements with these Central American countries, U.S. exports of fresh onions and shallots still face either the remaining import tariffs or import quotas in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador. U.S. exports to the region reached a peak of 12,000 MT in 2013, valued at $5.5 million, and showed a downward trend thereafter. In 2017, exports declined to 5,000 MT, valued at $2.3 million.
Panama is the largest market for U.S. exports of fresh onions in Central America. Between 2013 and 2017, the average annual U.S. exports to Panama amounted to about 3,200 MT. Nicaragua is the second largest market, with average annual shipments of 2,100 MT, followed by El Salvador (690 MT), Honduras (360 MT), Costa Rica (350 MT) and Guatemala (160 MT).
Author’s note: This information is based on the author’s analysis of the international trade data collected by the United Nations International Trade Statistics Database and the U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Division.
