TY - JOUR AU - Zamora, Miguel AU - Bernsten, Richard PY - 2004/08/19 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - An assessment of markets for Central American dry beans in USA ethnic communities. JF - Agronomía Mesoamericana JA - Agron. Mesoam. VL - 15 IS - 2 SE - Articles DO - 10.15517/am.v15i2.11893 UR - https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/agromeso/article/view/11893 SP - 131-143 AB - <p>This paper presents</p><p>information about the U.S. ethnic market for dry beans of</p><p>Central American origin, describes the potential opportunities</p><p>and constraints that these four countries face in expanding</p><p>bean exports, and provides information to policymakers and</p><p>potential exporters in these countries regarding ways to relax</p><p>these constraints. No study has been carried out to describe</p><p>the potential ethnic demand in the USA for Central American</p><p>dry beans. USA Census Bureau data were analyzed to</p><p>identify the states and cities with the highest concentration of</p><p>people from these countries. Five cities were identified and</p><p>visited in order to: a) obtain data on the availability of beans</p><p>in retail stores, b) survey Central American consumers on</p><p>their dry beans preferences, c) survey Central American</p><p>organizations, importers, and distributors to understand the</p><p>dynamics of the dry bean trade. Traders in Miami are also</p><p>importing dry beans from Honduras. Central American dry</p><p>beans sell at a price 25-50% higher than USA beans of similar</p><p>market classes. Furthermore, people of Central American</p><p>origin have a strong preference for dry beans from their</p><p>country of origin.</p> ER -