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The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity. For each FEWSNET country and region, the Price Bulletin provides a set of charts showing monthly prices in the current marketing year in selected urban centers andallowing users to compare current trends with both five-year average prices, indicative of seasonal trends, and prices in the previous year.
The main staple foods produced and consumed throughout most of Central America and the Caribbean are maize, rice, andbeans; the latter constituting a key source of protein for poor households. In Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaraguawhite maize, mostly consumed in the form of tortillas, and red or black beans are preferred, while in Costa Rica and Panama ricedominates in production and consumption. In Haiti, the primary staples are rice, black beans, and maize.
In Central America, there are typically two main growing seasons: the Primera (April-September) during which maize is primarilyproduced, and the Postrera (August-December) during which bean production dominates. The Apanteseason (November-March)is a third growing season during which beans are produced in south-central Nicaragua, northern Guatemala, and northernHonduras. In Haiti, there are several growing seasons. Maize is produced during the Primavera season (April-September). Blackbeans are produced over two seasons in Haiti’s humid and mountainous areas. The first season spans from March to May and thesecond from July to October. Beans are also produced in the country’s irrigated and humid mountainous areas during a third, fallseason from December to January.
White maize and beans are commonly traded between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica in CentralAmerica. The market in San Salvador in El Salvador is considered the most important regional market for these staple foods and iswell integrated with the rest of the region; due to the high levels of commercial exchange it hosts both with regional andinternational markets. Other important trade hubs include Guatemala City (Guatemala), San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa(Honduras), Chontales and Managua (Nicaragua), San Jose (Costa Rica) and Panama City (Panama). The Dominican Republic isHaiti’s main source for imported maize, beans, and tubers. Haiti relies heavily on the United States for rice imports, for about 80percent of consumption needs.