Browse Data and Analysis

In MY 2023/24, Guatemala ranked as the world’s second most efficient sugarcane producer and fourth in overall sugar production efficiency. For MY 2025/26, production is forecast to remain steady, with planted and harvested areas unchanged from the previous two years, and growth expected in MY 2026/27.

Rice production in Guatemala is slowly declining due to limited access to improved seed varieties and an insufficient domestic supply of locally developed seeds.

This report highlights the food processing industry, its drivers, key players, and market landscape in the Caribbean Basin. The region relies heavily on imports, and the United States is the largest supplier of food ingredients.

The food and beverage processing industry in Guatemala includes around 2,200 companies and plays a crucial role in the country's economy, contributing to employment, exports, and domestic food security.

In 2023, Guatemala ranked as the 16th largest U.S. agricultural export market, despite a nine percent decline in total exports, largely driven by reduced imports of bulk commodities. U.S. agricultural exports to Guatemala reached $1.6 billion. As the...

U.S. agricultural exporters of consumer-oriented products are well-positioned to increase sales to Guatemala. In 2023, U.S. consumer-oriented export values reached a third-consecutive record on 15 percent growth from the previous year (Figure 3).

The Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Food (MAGA) regulates Guatemala's genetically engineered (GE) plants and animals.

This report contains the list of all the mandatory export certificates required by the Government of Guatemala for agricultural imports.

Guatemala adopted the Central American Regional Technical Regulation RTCA 67.01.31:20, which updates the food product registration process. The regulation entered into effect on August 5, 2024, superseding previous regulation RTCA 67.031:07.

In 2023, the Guatemalan market showed significant potential for growth, with supermarkets, hypermarkets, and independent food stores expanding their locations.

Guatemala ranked as the #16 largest U.S. agricultural export market despite a nine percent decline, mainly due to lower imports of bulk commodities in 2023, reaching $1.6 million. It's crucial to remember that Guatemala, relying on foreign exchange by international trade, remittances, and tourism, is the largest economy in Central America, with an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) of $102.8 billion, a 19-million-person market, and relative economic stability.

The 2023 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world during the 2023 calendar year.