Lizeth Correa and her husband Jaime Ríos began exporting bananas and lemons from Colombia 14 years ago. Today, they sell over 150 products from at least six countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including apples, onions, blackberries, and avocados. We are featuring their story in El Hub, the new podcast by ConnectAmericas for exporting small and medium-sized enterprises … [Read more...] about El Hub, a new podcast for exporting SMEs
Global Value Chains and the Environment in a post-COVID World
Many predictions have floated about the future of global value chains (GVC), or the separation of production in stages across borders, in a post-COVID19 world. They include some degree of reshoring by which global lead firms bring back to their home country the production of intermediate inputs initially offshored to other countries. Other predictions include a higher degree of … [Read more...] about Global Value Chains and the Environment in a post-COVID World
The resilience and transformation of Customs authorities during COVID-19
Over the past few months, Customs authorities in Latin America and the Caribbean have had to work hard and think outside the box in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tons of personal protective equipment, including masks, gowns, medical devices, medicines, and disinfectant products, as well as food and other necessities, have passed through these agencies. Those shipments … [Read more...] about The resilience and transformation of Customs authorities during COVID-19
COVID-19 takes a toll on Latin American exports
As described in the most recent update to the IDB’s Trade Trend Estimates for Latin America and the Caribbean, the economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is increasingly affecting trade as 2020 progresses. The region is headed for a record trade shock. Latin American exports contracted by 3.2% in the first quarter of 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019, … [Read more...] about COVID-19 takes a toll on Latin American exports
How trade policy can help avoid a food security crisis under COVID-19?
The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing back the ghost of a food security crisis, similar to the one that swept the world more than a decade ago. One concern is that protectionism magnifies the negative economic effects of the confinement measures implemented to rein in the coronavirus. Although these concerns seem overstated, the agriculture sector in Latin America and the Caribbean … [Read more...] about How trade policy can help avoid a food security crisis under COVID-19?