Costa Rica Targets
Trends For Greater Food
Exports
By Jess Halliday,
Foodnavigator.com
Costa Rican food
companies are focusing
on major trends like
organics and social
values to build their
export platform, as an
association agreement
between the European
Union (EU) and Central
America is expected to
be reached in 2009.
Last week the fourth
round of talks towards
the association
agreement took place in
Brussels, covering a
spectrum of issues
ranging from political
dialogue to free trade.
Both sides are confident
that the negotiations
will be concluded next
year and will "enlarge
already substantial
relations".
Zacarías Ayub,
commercial director of
Procomer Europe (the
Ministry of Foreign
Trade's official trade
and promotion office)
told FoodNavigator.com
that the agreement is
expected to yield more
opportunities for
cooperation between food
industries the two
regions.
Procomer brought a
delegation of Costa
Rican companies to
Europe last week to
support the negotiations
with business meetings
and cultural activities.
Moreover, part of the
role of the Procomer
regional offices is to
provide information on
trends in different
markets.
"We used to sell
products with no added
value," said Ayub. "If
you provide added value,
the product becomes
stronger."
In particular, he said
that trends in the
organic sector are very
important, as European
customers see the
absence of pesticides as
making for a healthier
product. If Costa Rican
firms obtain
certification, this not
only makes their
products more attractive
to European markets but
also allows for higher
selling prices.
"An organic pineapple is
more expensive," said
Ayub by way of example.
Traceability and good
environmental standards
are also important to
European consumers. They
like to know where their
products come from, and
be assured that they are
produced in a
sustainable way.
Bananas are Costa Rica's
main agricultural
commodity - and the
industry is now
positioning its wares on
a carbon neutral
platform, as part of the
nation's over-all effort
to offset all its carbon
omissions by 2021.
The banana industry says
it has already
contributed to
conservation and
reforestation through
6305 hectares of
replanted forests - that
is, 14.4 per cent of
banana plantation land.
In addition, banana
firms and the industry
association Corbana have
jointly invested in two
new research centres to
investigate ways to
reduce chemicals used in
banana production. One
avenue being expolored
is the use of a natural
fungus to fight off
disease and pest in the
field, thus reducing the
need for pesticides.
This, said Corbana,
"will benefit the banana
industry by offering a
value-added product
attractive to the
European market".
Between 2003 and 2007
Costa Rica's food sector
exports increased from
us$164 million to us$389
million. Last year the
US accounted for 65 per
cent of these, The
Netherlands 26 per cent,
France 4 per cent, Spain
2 per cent, Germany 1
per cent and others 2
per cent.
Ayub explained that the
high percentage to The
Netherlands does not
represent such a high
level of consumption of
Costa Rican product in
that country, however.
Rotterdam is the first
port of call for many
goods, from where they
are distributed to other
destinations.
Moreover, Costa Rican
industries are open to
dealings with countries
that have joined the
European Union recently.
Romania and Bulgaria are
to start importing
pineapples from Costa
Rica, according to
producer and exporter
association Canapep, as
a result of the recently
solidified commercial
relations between the
countries.
At the moment the US is
the main market for
Costa Rican pineapples,
followed by Belgium,
Germany and The
Netherlands. Exports in
2006 were US$413
million, and the Canapep
is expecting growth of
15 per cent stimulated
by greater demand. |
