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Lawmaker calls for moratorium on pineapple plantations; new tax on exports

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Pineapples sprayed with herbicide

(ICR Archive)

October 14th, 2014 (InsideCostaRica.com) Frente Amplio (FA) lawmaker, Edgardo Araya, along with several groups representing communities that claim to have suffered from environmental and other damage due to pineapple production, have presented a draft decree that would put a moratorium on the expansion of monoculture pineapple plantations for the next five years.

 

Araya said that such plantations have caused significant environmental damage as well as serious harm to the health of people living in nearby communities, and that such plantations and growers have operated with impunity.

 

The lawmaker is also calling for a new one-dollar-per-box tax for each box of exported pineapples.

 

In 2013, pineapple exports generated US$834.2 million, which is 1.7% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

 

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  • gunns

    What, is there some part of this country that has yet to be sold?.

  • Ken Morris

    Depending upon the details, this might be a good idea. Although pineapples are one of the country’s main exports, and thus pretty important, they are not the kind of value-added export that the country needs to take economic development to the next step. Add environmental concerns, and bridling the expansion of the industry may be wise. Even so, CR is in no position to shoot itself in the economic foot now, so I hope any legislation is crafted intelligently.

    • HONEST MAN

      Has the goverment in Costa Rica lost there minds? Costa Rican goverment has done nothing to help create jobs. Right now 7000+ jobs have left the country and now lets hurt the farmers that need all the help they can get. The goverment is bring taxes on everything such as water,power,roads,transportation,food,gas,travel and now the poor pineapple farmers. Where the hell is all the money going?

      • Ken Morris

        Although I already said that CR is in no position to shoot itself in the economic foot, your reference to the “poor pineapple farmers” inspired me to look into it. I found this:

        http://www.consumersinternational.org/media/485589/the%20story%20behind%20the%20pineapples%20sold%20on%20our%20supermarket%20shelves%20final.pdf

        As you can see, these “poor pineapple farmers” are for the most part large agribusinesses that use lots of chemicals. The workers in these agribusinesses receive only 4% of the take, earning around $100 an 80-hour work week and suffering various ailments. Plus, 70% of them are Nicas, not Ticos, and many of the Nicas are illegal.

        I’m hard-pressed to find a reason why CR would want to see this industry expand, which is really the only issue in the proposed legislation, since I can’t see how Ticos benefit much from it.

        At the same time, I do urge caution,since however unappealing, the pineapple industry does contribute something.

        Most interesting to me in the report was the reference to the smaller pineapple farms that don’t use the same amount of chemicals (although nothing is said about their labor practices). Smart policy might encourage these while discouraging some of the big companies from expanding.

    • Larry Worsham

      I can understand the need to curtail the overuse of pesticides but from the experience of having a farm in Costa Rica the complete elimination of them is almost impossible. Organic farming also has it’s dangers with the potential bacteria in natural fertilizers.

      The major health problem I noticed was the failure of the workers to have adequate protection against the chemicals they were using, not only on the larger fincas but at the small farm level as well.

      As with everything else, CR always thinks the answer is more tax.

      • Ken Morris

        I think the issue here isn’t more taxes but a moratorium on the expansion of the industry.

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