The main objective is to present the advances to solve the non -tariff commercial barriers that the United States has indicated to Guatemala and begin the dialogue to get the 10% tariff imposed on imports from the country.
Although entrepreneurs and executives may not participate in the meeting with the Office of the United States Commerce (USTR), since these are held between officials of both governments, the representatives of the sector will be present in that country to support the official delegation. In addition, meetings have scheduled with various business associations and clients in the United States to continue promoting their market share.
The Business Group will consist of between 13 and 15 people, and it is planned to travel on Monday, May 26 and remain in that country until the 30th, said the president of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (AGEXPORT), Francisco Ralda.
The appointment with the UST is on Tuesday 27, and it is expected that the Official High Level Commission will be made up of the Minister of Economy, Gabriela García; Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martínez; And the Guatemala ambassador to the United States, Hugo Beteta, confirmed the Ministry of Economy (Mineco).
Charles Bland, president of the Agro Chamber and current president of the Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (CACIF), indicated that he will participate in the delegation together with executives of other business organizations.
Ralda indicated that he will attend AGEXPORT, and representatives of the Association of the Costume and Textile Industry (Vestex), of the Association of Independent Banana Producers, of the National Coffee Association, of the Guatemalan American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) and Fundesa, among others, are also expected to participate.
Ralda said that progress will be presented to USTR to solve non -tariff commercial barriers. However, he considers that the negotiation will have a more political than commercial component.
Asked whether the migratory and security issue would be included in the political aspect, he explained that it refers to the fact that the negotiation will also include other important factors, such as the agreement for the modernization of Puerto Quetzal, recently signed between authorities of Guatemala and the United States, the support for the authorization of the railroad, as well as security issues on borders, customs, ports and airports. However, it considers that the migratory issue will not be addressed, because it has currently decreased migration to that country.
Advances
Directors of the CACIF and AGEXPORT explained that the government has worked together to define the necessary measures to solve the tariff barriers indicated by the USTR in its annual report.
The Government explained that some requirements were already fulfilled, but they were not yet known to that US office, so updated information will be presented.
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According to Ralda, about 11,000 pending records that must be served until a few months ago.
“There are advances. We have seen a serious government commitment to generate these solutions, although we consider that negotiation will include other more political than regulatory factors,” Ralda insisted.
Bland said that some procedures required up to 103 steps, but with the advances they could be reduced to about five.
Advances in intellectual property were also mentioned. In addition, there are already unique windows, although it is required to make them more agile.
“We observe advances in areas where the government has committed. In the aspects in which it has not been possible to advance, commitments have been assumed, especially when it comes to measures that must be approved by Congress,” he said.
Digitization is another need, for which measures are being sought to advance. However, some laws related to measures to reduce commercial barriers or encourage investment have been approved between 10 and 15 years, which requires insistence and understanding of markets and economies, it was added.
In figures
- Guatemala exports closed in 2024 with an amount of US $ 14,500 million.
- Of this total, US $ 4,610 million went to the United States.
- In the first quarter of 2025, the total exported amount grew 10.7% and reached US $ 4,012.3 million.
- The United States exported US $ 1,276.2 million, 9.6% more than in the same period of 2024.