Guatemala City, by Yuliza Muñoz -AGN-. Guatemala created a program to promote entrepreneurship and support MSMEs for the first time in the country. The current administration implemented the Sello Blanco initiative to benefit different sectors of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
The Ministry of Economy -Mineco-, through the Vice-Ministry for the Development of MSMEs, led this initiative, which has delivered 313 certificates in the 22 departments of the country.
According to Mineco’s records, 76 certificates have been awarded in the agroindustry sector, 183 in manufacturing, 32 in beverages, 22 in cosmetics and hygiene, and one in services.
Sello Blanco Initiative
The initiative is part of the Plan for the Economic Recovery of Guatemala. Its main axes are the creation of employment, the attraction of strategic investments, and the promotion of consumption of national products locally, regionally, and globally.
This strategy aims to place entrepreneurs’ products of world-class quality so they can be traded in international markets through the Commercial Counselors Network of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
MSMEs receive support for technical assistance, training, trade fairs and business rounds, catalogs, international exhibitions, and registration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -FDA-.
Expositions and Trade Missions
The Sello Blanco program has developed expositions in different national and international regions to display Guatemalan products to the world market.
New World Craft was held in Guatemala in March, Advance Guatemala in May, and Entre Jaguares in June. Guatemala also participated in the March International Food Fair in England.
Guatemala participated in the International SME Convention in India in March. In the United States, Guatemala participated in the National Restaurant Association, Guatemala for the World, the Chapin Festival, the D. C. Festival, and the Taipei International Coffee and Food Show in Taiwan.
