I attended both of these conferences and was able to conduct interviews of the members as well as join seminars planning their reconstruction. This conference involved presidents of the livestock associations of Honduras who represented each department's members. Members of the cabinet attended the conference to address questions and create new policy that will allow producers to reconstruct their production systems. There were seminars held on reconstructing production systems, developing cooperatives for the future, and creating private funding for producers. Many extenuating circumstances make the rehabilitation process difficult.
Most producers have existing loans from banks with stiff loan restrictions.
Controls on import and export of agricultural products do not exist, allowing neighboring countries to import cheese, milk, and meat at lower costs than Honduran producers can sell their products. This conference tried to address these problems. The Minister of Reconstruction assessed the losses to the agricultural sector to account for more than half the total damages to Honduras. The remainder will be provided through low-interest loans given through Honduran banks. I interviewed several practicing veterinarians, many of whom echoed the sentiments of the producers.