Embassy of the United States

Sections and Departments

Economic Section

Mission

We support U.S. economic and commercial interests and provide accurate analysis of the Honduran economic environment.  Our commitment is to encourage a more open and transparent market economy that is less dependent on foreign aid and more able to generate sustainable and broad-based economic growth and employment, and support the Government of Honduras’s poverty reduction effort.  We consistently strive to strengthen U.S. - Honduras bilateral economic relations.

Please click here to see who we are and what we do.

Please click here for information on the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Features

In the News

• Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas
  • Website of the Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas initiative
• Global Food Crisis
  • White House Fact Sheet on Food and Biofuels versus Food
• CAFTA-DR
  • Editorial: Two Years of CAFTA by the Economic and Commercial Counselor Robert Armstrong (in Spanish) (PDF - 72Kb)
  • U.S. Commits Funding for Labor and Environmental Protection for Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement Countries (PDF - 30Kb)
• Telecoms
• Cigar Tax
  On February 4, President Barack Obama signed into law an extension of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) so as to provide health coverage for an estimated 4 million poor children in the United States who currently do not have health insurance.  The changes will take effect April 1.
  To help offset the additional cost of the program, estimated at US$35 billion over the next five years, the legislation also raises the excise taxes on various tobacco products.  These taxes apply regardless of where the products are manufactured – whether made in the United States or imported.
  For large cigars (weighing more than 3 pounds per thousand), the tax rate will increase from a maximum of US$48.75 per thousand (5 cents per cigar) to a maximum of 40.26 cents per cigar.  For cigars weighing no more than 3 pounds per thousand, the tax will increase from 1.828 cents per thousand (.002 cents per cigar) to US$50.33 per thousand (5 cents per cigar).
  President Obama’s statement upon signing the legislation can be found below:
  
  • Remarks by President Barack Obama on Children’s Health Insurance Program Bill Signing
  • House Fails to Reverse Child Health Veto (PDF - 61Kb)
• Energy and Biofuels
  • Sugar as Fuel for Honduran Growth (PDF - 13Kb)
  • Problems at State Electric Company Darken Honduran Energy and Fiscal Outlook (PDF - 118Kb)
• Honduran Travelogue
  
  • The Palms of Tela (PDF - 151Kb)
    Milk, Melons, Mariscos, Moorings, Maquilas and Megawatts... and Biodiesel: A Tour of Southern Honduras (PDF - 19Kb)
  • Marcala Coffee: Making More from a Hill of Beans (PDF - 20Kb)
  • Honduran Forests under Pressure (PDF - 15Kb)
  • The Future of African Palm (PDF -14Kb)
  • Puerto Cortes Basks in the Sun Surrounded by Troubled Waters (PDF - 15Kb)

Upcoming Events

Trade Agreements

• CAFTA-DR Final Text - English
• CAFTA-DR Final Text - Spanish
• CAFTA-DR Information Page

Reports and Updates 

•  CAFTA-DR: One Year Later (PDF - 116Kb)
•  Reduction in Honduras's Business Registration Time (PDF - 89Kb)
   Honduras: National Trade Estimate Report 2007
   Sixth Report to Congress on the Operation of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act

Information for Investors

• IPR Information for U.S. Businesses
• Investing in Real Estate in Honduras
• List of Attorneys in Honduras (PDF - 174Kb)
• Country Commercial Guide, September 2009 (PDF - 1.32Mb)
• Request for U.S. Government Advocacy

Doing Business with the United States

• Rules for Exporting Produce to the United States (PDF - 19Kb)

Useful Statistics

• U.S. Department of Commerce
• TradeStats National Trade Data
• Tariff and Trade DataWeb
• Office of Textiles and Apparel
• World Bank
• Central Bank of Honduras
• Honduran Manufacturer's Association (AHM)