In the first three months of the year, rice imports into Central America totaled $64 million, registering an increase of 29% over the same period in 2017.

Figures from the Information System on the Rice Market in Central America, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData:

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Imports by country 
In the first quarter of the year, the main rice importer in Central America was Panama, with $19 million, followed by Nicaragua, with $13 million, Guatemala, with $11 million, Costa Rica, with $9 million, El Salvador, with $8 million and Honduras, with $4 million.

Variation of regional imports 
Between the first quarter of 2017 and the same period in 2018, the import volume of rice registered an increase of 9%, rising from 146,000 tons to 158,000 tons.

Similar to volume, the import value showed the same behavior in the periods in question, since purchases registered an increase of 29%, rising from $50 million in 2017 to $64 million in 2018.

Origin of imports 
From January to March 2018, 52% of the value imported from Central America came from the USA, 26% from Brazil, 7% from Guyana and 7% from Uruguay. 

For the period in question in the last seven years, Uruguay is the market of origin of imports that has grown the most, since in 2012 it represented 0.5% of the total value purchased by the region and in 2018 that proportion was 7%.