Nathan Holleman's Report from Central America

The opening of a new Maersk shipping route between Wilmington and Puerto Cortez in Honduras may facilitate expanded trade even more. Goods shipped from Honduras can reach Wilmington in as few as 4 days, while goods shipped to Honduras from North Carolina average 7 days to reach the port.

The FMLN (former guerillas and now a leftist political party) won the recent election in El Salvador, a major purchaser of NC cotton. This was causing some distress among private companies, as they feared higher minimum wages, potential nationalization of some companies, as well as capital flight and decreased foreign investment (similar to Nicaragua and Venezuela). We’ll just have to see how the victory impacts El Salvador domestically as well as its external relations with countries such as the United States.