USAID/Nicaragua: Jinotega dairy producers participate in a workshop on CAFTA-DR opportunities

Jinotega dairy producers participate in a workshop on CAFTA-DR opportunities

Photo: Between 100 and 150 producers in Jinotega participated in a workshop on CAFTA-DR advantages for the dairy industry in Nicaragua. Between 100 and 150 producers in Jinotega participated in a workshop on CAFTA-DR advantages for the dairy industry in Nicaragua. The workshop was sponsored by the Alliance for CAFTAction program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID.

The USAID CAFTAction Program promotes alliances with the Central American private sector for economic growth through trade by improving the productivity and competitiveness of Central American products and services.

This year, in addition to the CAFTAction program and through USAID projects linked to trade, the U.S. government is providing over $14.5 million to assist thousands of small and medium-sized producers throughout the country in diversifying their crops and products, in complying with international quality standards, and in finding new markets.

A successful example

Personnel from Lácteos Santa Martha (LACTOSAM) (St. Martha Dairy Products) are among workshop participants. LACTOSAM demonstrates the benefits that free trade provides to small Nicaraguan producers. With technical assistance in quality and hygiene standards as well as in processing methods furnished by USAID, this family business was the first Nicaraguan dairy products plant to obtain certification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This certification serves as a guarantee of quality control and facilitates export to the United States.

With FDA certification, Santa Martha Dairy obtained a contract with the Fiesta supermarket chain in Houston as well as a buyer in Miami. Currently, it is exporting 30,000 lbs. a month of its products to the United States.