Agriculture

The agriculture sector in Nicaragua contributes 34 percent of the GDP and employs an estimated 29.5 percent of labor, as stated in the GDP/Employment by Sector of Origin table. The primary food crops produced are bananas, cocoa beans, coconuts, coffee, maize, potatoes, rice, soybeans and sugar cane. The primary meat products are beef and veal, chicken, horse, lamb and pork. The largest (in value terms) agricultural exports in 1998 were coffee, fish, cheroot cigars, sugar and boneless beef. The total value of agricultural exports in 1998 was $357.2 million, while the total value of agricultural imports in 1998 was $246.9 million.

Nicaragua
Key Sectors
Agriculture/Food: Production of Primary Crops
(Metric Tons)

Product	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
BANANAS	96,797	73,397	87,867	75,073	91,636
BARLEY	0	0	0	0	0
COCOA BEANS	200	200	200	150	160
COCONUTS	4,200	4,200	4,500	4,500	5,000
COFFEE, GREEN	49,900	65,169	65,420	91,791	81,818
MAIZE	322,877	264,068	300,469	290,777	363,636
POTATOES	27,500	28,000	27,000	28,000	28,000
RICE, PADDY	230,323	256,588	265,927	192,962	285,315
SOYBEANS	21,791	29,005	27,052	19,700	23,182
SUGAR BEETS	0	0	0	0	0
SUGAR CANE	3,649,909	3,750,809	3,459,191	3,687,118	4,000,000
WHEAT	0	0	0	0	0
TOTAL PRODUCTION	4,403,497	4,471,436	4,237,626	4,390,071	4,878,747
GROWTH RATE (%)	-	1.5%	-5.2%	3.6%	11.1%

Sources:

UN Food and Agricultural Organization