A week that the United States authorities implemented tariff measures for exports of Guatemalan products, there is a constant reaction and movement of the private sector organized to this situation.
Charles Bland, president of the Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (CACIF), provided a perspective and his vision for the national situation in which this country crisis is addressed, as well as the possible solutions.
These were the songs he addressed in an interview with Free press.
It is at a time convulsed by the theme tariffs How to face?
You have to see those challenges as opportunities. Many of the things that have to be done to meet the requirements and requests that have been within the issue with the United States and tariffs are things that have long been requested how to reduce processing; It is something that has been talking with entities and government authorities and we see that it will help the economy and not only for foreign trade.
For example, there are records that are repetitive that generate unnecessary efforts, time is lost, so these barriers are issues to eliminate and of course those procedures that must be done, but it must be digitized.
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What results could be expected between public and private sector?
Most of the guidelines are in the hands of the Executive and the ministers, so you simply have to give the instructions that are executed, assign the necessary resources, so it would expect a collaboration between both parties to advance these pending issues.
Is there a solution and correction towards these issues indicated by the US?
That is the objective and that we return to the zero tariffs to the trade, to the conditions that were in the FTA, in the agreed relationships and that the pending issues are met.
In general terms, your business perspective?
Guatemala has been in good economic moments in recent years; There are good working people, visionaries, entrepreneurs who have dedicated themselves to much effort to get ahead and the economy has been growing.
There are challenges, but the main ones we see is the issue of infrastructure, which does not let us move, they have us trapped on the roads, which is a part that complicates. The second issue is the part of legal certainty, that clear laws, which are fulfilled thinking that development and prosperity that is needed.
“That is the objective and that we return to zero tariffs on trade, to the conditions that were in the FTA, in the agreed relationships and that the pending issues are met”
Charles Bland, president of Cacif
There is an organized private sector proposal
On several occasions, issues in infrastructure have been proposed, supporting the government to prepare the projects, and see in some way to work so that they progress, avoid a stagnation, create development, so that is one of the goals set and how it rushes progresses to advance these works.
In infrastructure, is there any stretch to attend urgently?
For example, we have seen how the markets have been developing, exports growing, the expansion of companies, and detect a bottleneck for mobility not only for companies, but for people who visit tourism, recreation or family.
The roads, the ports are collapsed that affect the country a lot and the terminals affect a lot because millions of dollars are lost due to the waiting of the ships, and we do not see a change. It is important the investment in the ports and that the logistics chains are agile.
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What should be done there?
In what the plans are developed to advance in the ports and roads, because if we do not move I do not see how the economy will develop.
The support of the US Army Engineers. UU., In EPQ how it is analyzed
It is positive and I think it is a way in which you can move quickly. These types of agreements allow to develop infrastructure at a faster speed and USA, is an ally of Guatemala in many projects. It is a very large market and both for them and us would be a win-win, in which it can be an efficient port that would allow growing.
In economic initiatives, what have they studied?
A few days ago we filed an appeal of unconstitutionality against the livestock law as known (Law for the integration of the primary and agricultural productive sector, Decree 31-2024) because there are privacy issues, of persons, excess of powers for some institutions. The information requesting the SAT has always been guarded by a judge and we believe it is sensitive information and we see with bad eyes that it is public.
This law affects many and that’s why we put an amparo.
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How is the business climate and investment attraction?
We are on the right track, in the sense that the qualifiers improving the perspectives and we believe that the economy can be growing much more, if a little more impulse in infrastructure issues. For that reason it is to give more attention to these issues, which does not allow us to grow at speed in the economy.
In the evolution of macroeconomic indicators, what do you think?
You have to wait a bit as they develop in these months, especially for tariffs with the US, however, it looks good, as long as they advance in infrastructure issues, for example.
Is there optimism?
The macroeconomics of the country we see it with good eyes, the numbers are very good, and the macro is not everything, but it is the base, in which the rest of the companies, the people and the country develops, because with a bad macroeconomy it could not be, but on the contrary we have a good and with very stable numbers that makes an ideal platform to grow and take advantage.
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The remittance indicator, what follow -up they provide …
At the beginning of the year there was a lot of speculation that I was going to happen with the returns of the people who are in the United States and there was a concern of what was going to happen and there was uncertainty.
With what is happening the year, there are returns of official migrants and by the voluntary route; We are seeing the way of collaborating with the Government and the USA, to see how they are inserted to the labor market. In remittances it has been substantially rising in this quarter and is above what was expected.
The issue of climate change, as you have to start addressing it
This year, the climate prospects are in The girl In these three to four months and is a mild phenomenon, so it would be a rainiest year than normal, but a little.
In August you must return to a neutral trend, but at the end of winter it is the most complicated part, so we hope it is a relatively normal winter, not like last year that there was very strong droughts. The rains begin this month and will be much better in terms of water.
What is expectation about the next PEG5 energy tender?
It is something important, because it will allow the country to develop more, a new phase of offer so that there is more capacity to generate, transmit energy for the entire industry and users.
Some years ago energy was exported, but now we are at the point where we are no longer in that situation and this tender will allow expanding the capacities for the economy.