Honduras - Standards for TradeHonduras - Standards for Trade
Overview
The Honduras’ standards system is mostly flexible and characterized by a market-driven approach, with a prevalence of voluntary standards. Standardization efforts began in 1998, upon the establishment of the Inter-Institutional Standardization Commission of the Ministry of Economic Development-SDE. The Commission includes representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources & the Environment, Health, and Finance, as well as several other key organizations from the private sector. Standards-related duties and activities are the responsibility of the National Standards Body (Organismo Hondureño de Normalización, OHN) under the National Quality System, a decentralized agency of the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation-SENACIT (created under Decree 29-2011). The main objectives of the standards governmental body are to:
Formulate and coordinate the execution of normalization and quality control programs adequate to country needs;
Integrate technical committees for individual normalization projects and; Promote the use of standards in technical regulations.
In general, standards issues and related technical obstacles do not pose a major hurdle for U.S. exporters looking to do business in Honduras. At present, work is being done in connection to defining the limits of the procedures described in Executive Decree 29-2011, particularly regarding voluntary compliance terms for a practical development of the national standardization program. Honduras currently has one-hundred and seventeen (117) national standards, issued by the National Standards Body (OHN). Through CAFTA-DR and implementation of other trade agreements, signatories are expected to intensify their joint work in the field of standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures with a view to facilitating regional trade.
Standards
Among the standards developing organizations most commonly accepted in Honduras for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services are ASTM, IEC, and ISO. At present, there are approximately 120 national technical norms covering the agricultural sector (coffee, fruits).
Other sectors which have been identified as some of the main productive areas for the potential development of standards in Honduras are as follows:- Agro-industrial production
- Tourism
- Small Hotels
- Wood - Furniture
- Industrial Production
- Energy Efficiency
Honduras is also a subscriber member of the International Standards Organization (ISO). The implementation of ISO certification for local companies is conducted by legally credited international standards institutions. There are over 450 local companies currently certified under ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, and several others are also in the process of obtaining certification.
Testing, inspection and certification
Among the most relevant national testing and conformity assessment bodies in Honduras are:
Ministry of Economic Development: Consumer Protection and Legal Metrology
Ministry of Agriculture: National Plant and National Health Service
National Laboratory of Residues (LANAR/SAG); Quality Control Lab for Veterinary Products/SAG
Ministry of Health: General Directorate of Sanitary and Environmental Regulation
Ministry of Energy, Natural Resources, Environment, and Mines
CESCO (Pollution Control Research Center)
DECA (Environmental Control and Evaluation Directorate) Mining Executive Directorate ( INGHEOMIN Laboratory)
Customs and Tax Administration/National Customs Laboratory
Official Laboratory of Honduran Chemical and Pharmaceutical Professional
Association (Laboratorio del Colegio Químico Farmacéutico de Honduras)
Other private laboratories such as Jordanlab, MQ, Microbiology Lab (Empacadora de Productos Acuáticos, San Lorenzo), Agrobiotek, Central de Ingenios, S.A., Ecolova, Food Analysis and Microbiology Labs EAP Zamorano, and the Honduran Foundation for Agricultural Research (FHIA), among others.
Publication of technical regulations
Final technical regulations are published in the country’s national gazette: http://www.lagazeta.hn
Contact Information
The National Accreditation Body of Honduras is the “Organismo Hondureño de Acreditación - (OHA), a body under the National Quality System dependent on the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (SENACIT).
National Quality System
(Sistema Nacional de la Calidad – SNC)
And Technical Secretariat of National Quality Council - CNCA
Apartado Postal No. 4458
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Tel: (504) 2213-9052; 2228-2171; 2213-9050
E-mail: info@hondurascalidad.org
National Standards Body
(Organismo Hondureño de Normalización/OHN) National Quality System
Apartado Postal No. 4458
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Tel: (504) 2213-9052; Ext. 121E-mail: ohn@hondurascalidad.org
National Accreditation Body
Organismo Hondureño de Acreditación (OHA)
National Quality System
Tel: (504) 2213-9052
E-mail: oha@hondurascalidad.org
Post Standards Contact
U.S. Embassy - U.S. Commercial Service
Rossana Lobo, Senior Commercial Specialist
Avenida La Paz
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Tel: (504) 2236-9320
E-mail: Rossana.Lobo@trade.gov http://www.export.gov/honduras
NIST Notify U.S. Service
Member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to report to the WTO all proposed technical regulations that could affect trade with other Member countries. Notify U.S. (www.nist.gov/notifyus) is a free, web-based e-mail registration service that captures and makes available for review and comment any information on draft regulations and conformity assessment procedures. Users receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are added by selected countr(ies) and industry sector(s) of interest, and can also request full texts of regulations. This service and its associated web site are managed and operated by the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point housed within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.