Ecuador Targets August 20 Completion For Economy, Production And Agriculture Ministry Fusion

Development

Ecuador expects to complete the merger of the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade and Investments and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries into the Ministry of Economy and Finance by August 20, 2026.

The process is governed by Executive Decree 425, signed on June 18, 2026, which set a maximum 60-day period for the merger.

The new ministry will be called the Ministry of Economic and Productive Development and will be led by current finance minister Sariha Moya.

Operational transition

Moya said the process is advancing as planned and that services have remained operational during the transition.

Juan Carlos Vega and Luis Alberto Jaramillo will remain ministers of Agriculture and Production, respectively, until the merger process ends.

Where adscription processes are required, Decree 425 provides up to 90 days. The decree allows extensions to the deadlines but does not state how long those extensions could be.

The absorbed entities will move into the new ministry through vice ministries determined by institutional need.

Scope of transfer

When the merger is complete, the new ministry will assume the plans, programs, projects, competencies, rights, obligations, agreements, contracts, budgets, movable and immovable property, assets, liabilities, rights, and obligations of the three ministries.

The reorganization is part of an executive decision to reduce Ecuador's cabinet from 14 ministries to 10.

Business significance

The consolidation puts fiscal policy, productive development, agriculture, trade, investment, and fisheries closer to one decision-making center. That could simplify policy coordination, but it also concentrates administrative load inside a larger ministry.

For exporters, agribusiness, investors, and companies seeking permits or public-sector coordination, the practical issue is continuity. The government says service delivery is continuing, but transitions of this size can still affect processing times, institutional contacts, and responsibility lines.

What to watch

• Whether the August 20 deadline is met without extension
• The vice-ministry structure inside the new ministry
• Any changes to trade, agriculture, fisheries, and investment-processing workflows
• Continuity of public-facing services during the 90-day adscription period

Source: El Universo.