August 2021 - Sugarcane Industry

26 August, 202117 September, 2021

Chefs from seaside village in Guatemala are trained to boost economy and tourism

Chefs from Monterrico are trained for the economic reactivation of the tourist area

Monterrico, a seaside village located 148 kilometers (92 miles) South from Guatemala City, is located on the Pacific Ocean coast of Guatemala, and is popular with national and foreign tourists for its volcanic sand beaches and the annual influx of sea turtles.

This village is one of four that the Guatemalan Sugar Industry supports to boost economy and tourism with the the diplomaed: Gastronomic Diversification through Fundazucar, in alliance with the Ministry of Economy -Mineco- and the Municipality of Taxisco, Santa Rosa.

The training was completed by 37 chefs and cooks from 10 hotels and 6 restaurants in the town who completed 20 hours of theoretical-practical training, where they learned innovative recipes based on seafood from the region.

Chefs and cooks will continue their training at the Technical Institute for Training and Productivity -Intecap- with a scholarship for the Diplomaed “Sea Cuisine” granted by the Sugar Foundation as part of the inter-institutional alliance, which promotes a strategy for the promotion local economic.

The objective of the training program is to support economic reactivation by offering added value to tourists through the processing and transformation of products from artisanal fishing, as well as to acquire knowledge in good manufacturing practices, cold chain management and marketing of the finished product.

5 August, 202128 March, 2022

IADB allies with the Guatemalan Sugar Industry to prevent chronic child malnutrition

The Inter-American Development Bank -IADB- signed an alliance with the Sugar Foundation -Fundazucar- of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry for the execution of the SPOON program (Sustaining Program for Improving Nutrition) that seeks to prevent chronic malnutrition and reduce the risks of future obesity in children from 0 to 24 months of age living in areas of high poverty in Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico.

In Guatemala, the SPOON initiative was implemented in the department of Baja Verapaz, located 150 kilometers (93 miles) north from the Capital, in the context of “Better Families” program of Fundazucar because it shares the same objectives and is an innovative self-management model driven by women that promotes behavior change to improve Safety Nutritional Food.

The program ended in May 2021 with a duration of 24 months and the participation of 604 women from 39 communities of the 8 municipalities of Baja Verapaz. These women successfully completed the training for behavior change in the programmatic axes of: Self-esteem, Health and Nutrition, Responsible Motherhood and Fatherhood, and Reproductive Health.

The Sugar Foundation has worked with more than 532,000 women who have been empowered and trained in food security and development for their family and community. This program is executed through alliances with authorities and institutions and, in this case, with social investors who relied on field experience to develop effective behavior change strategies.

The positive results and success stories of the Better Families program of the Sugar Foundation – Fundazucar- has led to the implementation by social investors: companies, foundations, and international organizations, to prevent chronic child malnutrition.

5 August, 20215 August, 2021

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry is certified as an Authorized Economic Operator

The Guatemalan Sugar Producers Association -Asazgua- was certified as an Authorized Economic Operator of Guatemala -AEO- in the activity of Exporter by the Guatemalan Superintendency of Tax Administration -SAT-.

This accreditation reinforces compliance with international safety standards and obligations in current legislation on the export of sugar. In addition, operational and administrative procedures of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry with the SAT will be more agile and it may be recognized as an AEO by the customs services of other countries that have similar programs with which a mutual recognition agreement has been signed.

Guatemala is one of the 16 countries in Latin America, North America and the Caribbean Region that have implemented the figure of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO). AEOs are individual or legal persons that are considered reliable and safe economic operators by Customs Authorities because they comply with international security standards, as well as the norms, requirements and obligations established in current customs legislation.