Agritrade, the biggest agricultural industry event in Guatemala, opened this week in Antigua, amid expectations that exports from the Central American country will grow significantly in the coming years.

The three-day event is set to receive around 3,500 people from 18 countries. Guatemala is a major exporter of vegetables and tropical fruits such as bananas, mangos, melons, and pineapples. It is also an emerging exporter of avocados, with U.S. market access expected to be finalized in the coming months.

The country’s agricultural exports in 2023 reached US$4.4 billion, according to the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture.

Luis Teo of Agritrade - Photo: Ed Vernon

The target for Guatemala is to roughly double that figure to over US$8 billion by 2030, said Luis Teo, president of the Agritrade organizing committee and commercial manager of exporter Frutesa.

“That is an effort that we at the Guatemalan Exporters’ Association (AGEXPORT) are doing under the ‘Agroimpact’ initiative," he said. "What we are trying to do is double the country’s exports through various means, but the main thing is to do more of what we already do well and to do new things with new products,” 

Teo explained that avocados are among the exports poised to see strong growth over the coming years.

“The private sector is working heavily to have more orchards, better quality and higher productivity,” he said.

The representative added that the Agritrade event has grown significantly over recent years, drawing a large crowd of international buyers from various importing countries.