Strong pork demand generated by customers in Central America

Exports of U.S. pork set a record in 2024 at $8.6 billion and more than 3 million metric tons (mt). Much of that growth came in Central America, which saw a 29 percent increase in value compared to the previous year.

U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) consumer education programs, made possible through support from USDA and the National Pork Board, have made a huge difference in that demand.

“We have been doing a lot of education in order to position U.S. pork as another option for the center of the plate protein,” said USMEF Central America Representative Lucia Ruano. “We are highlighting pork as very good protein with a lot of nutrients, good flavor. It’s easy to handle and versatile, so we are showing consumers how to do different things with different cuts of U.S. pork, so they can have it as another affordable option.”

In particular, USMEF has touted the use of pork loin to build value for a versatile but underutilized cut.

“You get all kinds of affordable cuts from the loin, for example a cowboy, a ribeye, a strip loin,” Ruano explained. “And so, we try to teach people that all of these cuts that we have from the loin, they are not only affordable, but they have a very good flavor if you cook them and handle them in the correct way.”

Promotional events range from consumer grilling events to menu building seminars for restaurant chefs to take advantage of the growing interest in grilled cuisine and increasing demand for high-quality protein in both the retail and foodservice sectors.

The success of U.S. pork in the region is made possible through tariff-free access under the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). Panama, however, remains an exception, as its import policies are inconsistent with trade agreement commitments.

Ruano noted that domestic producers have been placing pressure on the Panamanian government to restrict pork imports. Those limits have led to some pork product shortages in the country.

“Tony Roma’s, for example, wasn’t able to have enough ribs, their signature plate,” Ruano said. “They weren’t able to feature them during the last quarter of the year, as none of the domestic producers were able to supply the product.”

Despite the restrictions, U.S. producers sold nearly $68 million of pork in Panama in 2024.

Central America will once again take center stage in July as USMEF hosts the Latin American Product Showcase in Guatemala City July 30-31. The event, which has received outstanding support from the Indiana Soybean Alliance, began in 2011 and brings U.S. processors and exporters together with buyers from across Central and South America and the Caribbean to promote sales across the entire Latin American region.

Click here for more about the 2025 Latin American Product Showcase.