The four years of economic deceleration in Latin America are already affecting Latin Americans' capacity to find or hold onto jobs as well as their income, according to Augusto de la Torre, chief economist of the World Bank for Latin America and the Caribbean; while the region has already been posting worse-than-projected results for as many as five years, the job markets had remained for the most part unaffected in past years.  Read More »

At the second meeting of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Mexico, the effects of an aging population, maternal mortality, migration and more on Latin America and the Caribbean were discussed on Wednesday. In particular, hot button issues covered the new changes in population and maternal and infant mortality. The conference is from Oct. 6 to Oct. 9. Read More »

The government of Venezuela, which for the past month has sought to intensify an initiative to increase crude oil prices by limiting production, said on Thursday that it will host a meeting on Oct. 21 in Caracas and is inviting all oil-producing countries, both inside and outside of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, to participate. Read More »

Sao Paulo, Brazil-based Campo Rico Fertilizers has secured additional equity funding of up to $40 million from agribusiness equity sponsor NGP Global Agribusiness Partners. “We look forward to working with this innovative and energetic team and are pleased to support their continued growth,” NGP Managing Director Mark Zenuk said. Read More »

Brazilian vehicle sales, which have steadily declined in recent years, are projected to stabilize in the last quarter of the year, the country´s vehicle manufacturer association projected. While Anfavea, a Portuguese-language acronym for National Association of Automotive Vehicle Manufacturers, says numbers will remain low but not worsen, some dealerships expect improvement. Read More »

Arcadia Biosciences Inc. of Davis, California has entered into a joint venture with Bioceres S.A., Verdeca. Read More »

Fitch Ratings has promoted Alejandro Garcia, its current managing director, to analytical head of Latin American financial institutions. Read More »

Wilsonart Engineered Surfaces has announced an agreement with Maderas y Sinteticos (Masisa) to supply Masisa’s high pressure laminate (HPL) design line in Mexico, effective immediately. Read More »

Juan Carlos Varela, president of Panama, recently announced that the country will make a $1 billion (USD) investment on a 500 MW of utility-scale solar-energy and a $50 million world-class solar and environmental research center, which will be designed to focus on various research studies regarding photovoltaic (PV) innovation and environmental sciences. Read More »

Sintana Energy said Thursday that drilling and casing on its Manati Blanco-1 exploration well in Colombia Block VMM-37 in the Magdalena Basin has reached a depth of approximately 14,500 feet. Further analyses will be performed to evaluate the potential of the block. Drilling on the well began in April and aimed at the La Luna and Tablazo/Paj Cretaceous-age oil formation. Read More »

Rollins has acquired a new franchise in El Salvador to offer customers pest control services through its wholly owned Orkin subsidiary. With locations in five other Latin America countries, this addition expands the company's presence in the region. Orkin employees in El Salvador will attend initial training in Atlanta and in Panama. Read More »

Jubilant DraxImage Inc. today announced the delivery of the first commercial shipment of HICON Sodium Iodine I-131 Solution USP to Colombia. HICON Sodium Iodine I-131 Solution is indicated for the treatment of thyroid diseases including hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer. Patients in Colombia who have thyroid conditions are now able to receive INVIMA-approved Radioiodine therapy. Read More »

Nobel Agril announced Marcelo de Andrade as its new global sugar president and Valmor Shaffer as its South America president. Both will be based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and report to CEO Matthew Jansen. Andrade has more than two decades of experience in the commodities sector. Previously, he was sugar and ethanol business director at Cargill, generating $270 million in revenue. Read More »

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) introduced the Cuba Agricultural Exports Act to alter current prohibitions against U.S. backing and financing for certain exports to Cuba in the House. The Cuba agriculture market is valued at more than a $1 billion a year. Crawford said the a legislation would create innovative economic prospects and jobs for the U.S. agriculture industry. Read More »

The Colombian antitrust authority recently sanctioned Colombian sugar companies and industry groups after finding them guilty of creating a cartel to block imports of sugar from other regional countries. Read More »

Companies in Latin America, including multinationals with a regional presence, do more to fight poverty than governments, Techo, an organization with a $35 million annual budget that has mobilized 800,000 volunteers since it was founded  to help the Latin American poor, said. Read More »

Brazil's Gamesa received an order from Votorantim Energy to supply, transport, install and commission 98 G114-2.0 MW turbines at seven wind farms in Piau, a state in northeast Brazil, by the end of 2017. Read More »

ET Solar Chile announced Monday an association with the Brazil-based company WEG to supply the Brazilian market with turnkey photo-voltaic (PV) solutions and also operations and maintenance services in the region.Both companies are already designing solutions for their specific needs and expect to begin construction during the first quarter 2016.  Read More »

Hydro has signed a letter of intent to acquire Brazilian mining company Vale's 40 percent interest in Mineracao Rio do Norte (MRN), a Brazilian bauxite producer. The purchase is contingent on several factors, including approval from both parties' boards and regulatory authoirities. Read More »

Verint Systems and Scitum, a managed security service provider based in Mexico, said on Monday that they are teaming up to protect government organizations and enterprises in Mexico from advanced cyber threats. Read More »