Nicaragua Network

1. Cane workers’ protest turns violent: one dead, several injured; police under investigation
2. M&R poll shows continued good numbers for government
3. Juigalpa jail uprising over; crime down in 2013
4. Growth in several sectors but not in coffee
5. Nicaragua plans trade mission to Russia
6. Changes announced at Central Bank and Ministry of Education
7. African palm production increases
8. New alliance to promote recycling
9. Volcano alert issued and withdrawn
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1. Cane workers’ protest turns violent; one dead, several injured; police under investigation

An on-going protest of cane workers at the San Antonio sugar refinery in Chichigalpa, Department of Chinandega, turned violent on Saturday, Jan. 18, with a result of one protestor dead, several wounded and a number of people detained.  Violence broke out after a promised meeting between the Pellas Group, owner of the refinery, and workers affected by chronic kidney disease, widely believed to be caused by working in the cane fields, failed to take place. Evidently the protestors took over the entrance to the refinery and, when police attempted to open passage to the plant, the protestors attacked them with homemade weapons.  The police responded with live fire, fatally shooting Juan de Dios Torres, 47, and also wounding a 14 year old boy, Jose Valladares. 

The National Police said in a communiqué that the members of the police patrol have been detained and are under investigation.  Police spokesman Fernando Borge said that the National Police lamented the results of the police action and expressed to the family of the deceased their “consternation and decision to have justice done.”  Borge said that a team from the Directorate of Judicial Assistance (DAJ) and from Office of Internal Affairs had been sent to Chinandega to investigate the incident.

La Isla Foundation reported that community members had protested at the San Antonio refinery for three weeks in December and January but had halted protests based on a promise from the Pellas Group for a meeting on Jan. 18 to address their grievances.  When that meeting failed to take place, the former cane workers and their supporters resumed their protest at the entrance to the plant.  La Isla stated that chronic kidney disease has been responsible for 46% of all male deaths over the last ten years in Chichigalpa.  The San Antonio refinery produces sugar, Flor de Caña rum, and biofuels for the national and international markets. (El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 20; La Prensa, Jan 19; La Isla Foundation, Jan. 19; Informe Pastran, Jan. 20)

2. M&R poll shows continued good numbers for government

On Jan. 15, M&R Consultores released its latest poll, in which 1,600 people over 16 (voting age in Nicaragua) in all departments and regions of the country were surveyed between Dec. 12 and 29.  According to the poll, 65.3% approve of President Daniel Ortega’s management of the country while 13.1% disapprove, 20.7% neither approve nor disapprove and 1% has no opinion. The public figures with the highest approval ratings were National Police head Aminta Granera with 79.8% approval, followed by First Lady and government spokesperson Rosario Murillo with 77.9% approval, and her husband the president with 77.7%.  Others with high approval ratings were Vice-President Omar Hallesleven with 59.9%, Archbishop (now Cardinal) Leopoldo Brenes with 50.6%, Cardinal Miguel Obando with 49.3%, Army head General Julio Cesar Aviles with 47.7%, and business leader Jose Adan Aguerri with 46.8%.

Of those polled, 56.9% said they sympathized with the Sandinista Party, 34.9% identified themselves as independents, 4.2% named the Constitutional Liberal Party and Independent Liberal Party captured the sympathy of 3.3% of those polled.  This reflected an increase of the percentage of independents and a loss of support for the Liberal parties from the poll done in September.  In spite of the low ratings for the opposition parties, 87.8% said that the election of the high level officials whose terms have run out should be done on the basis of consensus between the Sandinistas and the opposition.  While 61.4% said that democracy had been strengthened in the last five years, 51.7%% agreed with the statement that it could be acceptable to sacrifice a bit of democracy if the people’s economic problems could be resolved. With relation to the amendments to the constitution, which will come up for a second vote in the National Assembly in February, most of those polled knew little about them, but, among Sandinistas, 30.2% supported them fully, 56.7% supported them partially, and 4.9% opposed them.

Opposition leaders rejected the poll’s findings.  Former National Assembly Deputy Agustin Jarquin said, “There is fear in the population and while they give high marks to the government like in the 1980s, they protect themselves, hiding their real opinions. Sympathy will begin to decline with this authoritarian management and the population that wants something new and better will grow. The government should correct its direction and return to institutionality and democracy.” 

Raul Obregon, general manager of M&R Consultores, said that the results revealed that Nicaraguans want an improvement in the economy of the country, better working conditions and more jobs, and they also want those in positions to resolve the country’s problems to do so with a national vision, using dialogue as a tool. Thirty-six percent said that unemployment was their main worry while 18.4% said that their principal concern was the rise in prices, and 24% said they were most concerned about poverty.  Eighty-eight percent approve of the dialogue between the government and the private business sector on economic issues.  Of those polled, 4.1% said that the economic situation was “very good”, 23.4% said it was “good,” and 44.8% said it was “so-so,” while on the other hand 13.9% said it was “bad,” and 8.4% “terrible.”  Almost sixty percent said that, if they had the opportunity, they would emigrate, with the United States, Spain, and Costa Rica being the destinations of choice.

Almost 72% of those surveyed believe that the shipping canal is a realistic project, with 9.5% saying that it is a dream, and 12% that it is “pure publicity.”  The poll showed that between September and December the percentage of people who identified as Catholics grew by 3.3% to 54.2%, at the same time as the number of those who identified as Protestants declined, a figure some might ascribe to the new Pope who has expressed his solidarity with the poor.  (Informe Pastran, Jan. 15, 16, 20; Radio La Primerisima, Jan. 15; El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 16)

3. Jail uprising over; crime down in 2013

The National Police announced on Jan. 15 that order had been reestablished “without violence or use of force” at the jail in Juigalpa, Department of Chontales, where for two days prisoners had staged an uprising.  Commissioner Javier Carillo said that, now that the 232 prisoners housed at the jail have been moved to another building, conditions at the Juigalpa jail will be improved, including the sanitary facilities, access to electricity, and security.  Helena Lopez, in charge of jails and prisons in the office of the government-appointed Ombudsperson for Human Rights, said that her office is working with authorities to improve conditions in the country’s correctional institutions where levels of insecurity are high because of over-crowding.  She added that the nation’s jails and prisons were at 127% of capacity.

According to National Police Deputy Director Francisco Diaz, crime in Nicaragua declined during 2013 by 8% when compared with 2012.  He said that Nicaragua had nine homicides per 100,000 people, down from 11 in 2012 and the lowest in Central America.  He noted that Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala register between 50 and 100 homicides per 100,000 people.  Diaz said that 66 women had been murdered, down from 75 in 2012. However, the Network of Women against Violence said that its figures indicated that 73 women had been murdered, down from 85 in 2012. Diaz also stated that 500 at-risk youth had been reinserted into society after participation in programs run by local governments and the ministries of education, health, and the family.  (La Prensa, Jan. 15, 17; Radio La Primerisima, Jan. 15, 16; El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 16)

4. Growth in several sectors but not in coffee

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Nicaragua reached US$1.5 billion in 2013, surpassing by 16.8% the figures for the previous year.  This brings the ratio between FDI and gross domestic product (GDP) to 13.5%, the highest in Central America.  According to a communiqué from the president’s office, this investment “increases our productive capacity, our employment generation, and expands considerably our exports.”  The Nicaraguan Chamber of Construction announced that preliminary figures indicated that the construction sector grew 15% in 2013, 5% more than expected.  While construction slowed in the first half of 2013, there was a pick-up in the second half of the year. 

Dean Garcia, president of the Nicaraguan Textile Industry Association, said that production in the country’s Free Trade Zones could break a new record this year with exports of US$1.6 billion and a growth of between 6 and 8% over last year which also broke a record in exports. Garcia said that the reopening of the Cone Denim factory, which produces denim for the factories assembling blue jeans, had helped break the record.

The production of cigars in Nicaragua has increased, now employing 35,000 workers and exporting more than 110 million cigars with a value of US$170 million last year.  This was announced at the Third International Tobacco Festival held in Nicaragua last week. At the same time, ironically, Nicaragua became the first country to ratify the international protocol for the elimination of illegal trade in tobacco products and was congratulated by the World Health Organization.

In contrast to the good news in these areas, coffee exports in December fell by 57% compared to the same month last year, according to a government office.  Coffee growers had expected a decline due to the epidemic of coffee rust and also to the natural variation in yield where a very good period is often followed by a drop in production.  The price for coffee is also low and may stay at US$110 per hundredweight this season, although some predict it could rise to US$130, down from US$160 last year. Over production by Brazil continues to be the problem, according to expert Raul Amador. (El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 18, 20; Radio La Primerisima, Jan. 16, 17; Informe Pastran, Jan. 16)

5. Nicaragua plans trade mission to Russia

Last week, Nicaraguan business leaders, government officials, and Russian diplomats, meeting at the Foreign Ministry, formed a committee to plan a mid-year delegation to Russia to discuss increased trade and economic relations between the two countries. Russian officials expressed interest in importing Nicaraguan beef, seafood, coffee, and cacao. Nicaragua is interested in promoting increased tourism from Russia. The committee will be part of the intergovernmental commission for commercial, scientific and technical cooperation between the two countries that was created this past November.  Russian Ambassador Nicolay M. Vladimir stated, “You produce many products that have a market in our country, which we import from Latin America because, for climatic reasons, we cannot grow them in our own country.” Trade between the two countries currently totals US$100 million. (Radio La Primerisima, Jan. 17; El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 16)

6. Changes announced at Central Bank and Ministry of Education

Government spokesperson Rosario Murillo confirmed on Jan. 20 that Alberto Guevara will be leaving his post as president of the Central Bank of Nicaragua and moving to other duties. She said that President Daniel Ortega had named Bank general manager Ovidio Reyes to take his place.  The appointment must be approved by the National Assembly.  Murillo also announced that Vice-Minister of Education Jose Treminio would be leaving his post. There was speculation that Guevara may be slated for the Grand Canal Administrative Commission and Treminio for a Sandinista Party post in Managua. (Informe Pastran, Jan. 20; El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 20)

7. African palm production increases

Under the headline that reads “New norms will promote cultivation of African Palm,” El Nuevo Diario notes that the plant is “demonized by some; blessed by others.”  The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAGFOR) has announced on its web page that nearly 40,000 acres of African Palm have been planted in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS), producing 258,624 tons of oil.  In the Department of Rio San Juan, over 7,000 acres have been planted with the crop.

Humbert Abella, MAGFOR delegate in the RAAS, said that more companies are investing in the crop which is exported principally to Mexico.  He stated that the companies have improved their productive processes to cause less damage to the environment and added that an Obligatory Nicaraguan Technical Norm (NTON) will be adopted this year to cover cultivation of African Palm.  The NTON is being discussed by a committee composed of officials from MAGFOR, local governments, production cooperatives, and companies, and will establish the “technical directives for the establishment, handling, processing, and experimentation with the cultivation of oil palms under an eco-agricultural system.”

A representative of one of the companies working in the region said that in Nicaragua the cultivation of African Palm has been demonized because people believe that it requires great quantities of agrochemicals but that today the cultivation is “more ecological.” [The Nicaragua Network notes that neither the corporate official nor the MAGFOR delegate said how many acres of rainforest had been chopped down to plant African Palm.]  In 2013, US$8 million in crude palm oil and US$410,000 in cooking oil were exported from Nicaragua.  (El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 14)

8. New alliance to promote recycling

Five environmental organizations signed an agreement to work together for two years to, in the words of Young Environmentalists member Germán Áreas, “develop actions that are able to contribute to a change in the culture” with regard to recycling. The groups include: Young Environmentalists, Africa 70, RedNica, Nicaraguan Association of Recyclers (ASORENIC), and the Avina Foundation.  In addition, the new alliance will mobilize to support passage of a bill on hazardous and non- hazardous solid waste management, and has already held discussions with the Inter-American Development Bank about future project funding. In 2013 up through Dec. 10, Nicaragua had exported 23,593 tons of waste paper. The proposed law would regulate pricing for recyclable products to balance the benefits between recyclers and middlemen. (La Prensa, Jan. 15)

9. Volcano alert issued and withdrawn

On Saturday the National System for the Prevention, Mitigation, and Attention to Disasters (SINAPRED) issued an alert for the San Cristobal and Telica volcanoes in Chinandega and Leon, respectively. The alert, which was withdrawn on Sunday, was prompted by a low level earth tremor measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale, whose epicenter was near the Telica volcano. There were no damages or casualties from the 6:00am trembler. Telica is one of the most active of Nicaragua’s thirteen active volcanoes. It has been erupting since 1527 [at least as far as the Spanish conquerors knew!] and had its last major eruption in 1948. It has since roared and smoked.  San Cristobal was included in the alert because scientists noted an increase in seismic activity in the volcano. A yellow alert was most recently issued for that volcano in December 2012. On that occasion San Cristobal expelled 823,000 cubic meters of ash which fell over an area of 291 sq. km. Eighty percent of the streets of Chinandega were covered in ash and 500 people were evacuated. (La Prensa, Jan. 19; El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 18)