Juticalpa

Economy

Juticalpa's economy is primarily agricultural and commercial.  Olancho’s wide, fertile river valleys support maize, cattle, and dairy farms. 



Queso Olanchano a hard and salty cheese, and "Mantequilla Crema" white cream, are produced in great quantities at several dairies and exported throughout the country and the Central American Region.
 

Because of its proximity to successful farms and its position on the only paved highway in Olancho, Juticalpa's economy has led to relative prosperity.

Despite its strong agricultural base, unemployment in Juticalpa is high.  To support themselves, many citizens of Juticalpa run small stores called pulperías where they sell household items and food stores to neighbors.

Juticalpa contains a number of small businesses, many restaurants (ranging from taco stands to dine-in establishments with air conditioning), a hospital donated by the Japanese government, medical clinics, a movie theater called Cine Maya, and a number of public and private schools.

The local economy has grown rapidly over the past fifteen years, lately leading to a strong presence of banking representations.  Several ATMs can be found across town and bank branches open Monday through Saturday.

A new mall opened at the beginning of Boulevard Los Poetas, and four fully supplied supermarkets are well distributed across town.  Recent road paving projects were finished in Barrio El Centro and Barrio de Jesús, but most of the town peripheral streets remain unpaved.

The area serves as transit for the tourists headed to The Sierra de Agalta National Park, and for tourists visiting The Cuevas de Talgua, limestone caves containing the calcified phosphorescent remains of ancient inhabitants of the area.

In Honduras, Juticalpa is most famous for the production of an alcoholic palm Coyol tree wine known as coyol wine.  Residents knock down palm trees in the middle of the dry season (March and April) and enjoy the wine at the sites, or transport the effervescent beverage in plastic bottles. 
 


The easiest place to find the drink is in the village of La Concepción, a few kilometers west of Juticalpa on the highway to Tegucigalpa.

City Fair

Juticalpa's fair is celebrated on December 8–14 and is dedicated to "The Virgin of Concepción".  During this period, several activities take place across the city's main streets, at the Parque Central and at the AGAO "Asociación de Ganaderos y Agricultores de Olancho".