Report by the WTO Secretariat

Nicaragua has a relatively open trade and investment regime, with an average MFN tariff of 6.2 per cent and limited use of non-tariff measures. It participates actively in the Central American regional integration process, and its trade policy is largely determined by its involvement in that process and by its adherence to other international agreements, in particular CAFTA-DR. Nicaragua’s trade and investment policy is designed to foster its integration in the world economy, using the country’s comparative advantage in products such as coffee and sugar, but at the same time also promoting the development of a more solid and chiefly export-oriented industrial base, through schemes such as the free zones.