Monday 19 January 2009, San José, Costa
Rica
ICE Forced To Dump
Arenal Lake Water
Rescue And Recovery
Efforts Suspended
Gasoline Price Drop
Tomorrow
Not Yielding To
Pedestrians or Insulting A Taxi Driver
Is Subject To Fine Under New Ley de
Tránsito
Costa Rican Tomatoes And Peppers Soon To
Be On US Store Shelves
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Costa Rican Tomatoes And
Peppers Soon To Be On US
Store Shelves
It's been almost five
years, but soon Costa
Rican tomatoes and sweet
peppers could be on
store shelves in the
United States by the end
of the month.
The sanitary agreement
between the United
States and Costa Rica
that would allow the
import of vegetable
tomatoes and peppers
produced in greenhouses
in selected area is
almost ready to be
signed.
As of today tomatoes and
peppers grown in Costa
Rica are not available
in the US as a
protection against the
possible entry of fruit
flies into the US.
The agreement that is
expected to be signed by
the end of the month is
within the negotiated
Tratado de Libre
Comercio (TLC) - Central
American Free Trade
Agreeement (CAFTA)- that
went into effect on
January 1, 2009.
The first step in the
process was to identify
areas of production with
a lower incident of the
fruit fly. The area
surrounding the the
Central Volcanic Range
was chosen. The area is
well known for its
cooler climate and with
considerable height
above sea level making
it difficult for the
insects.
The agreement calls for
the production to be
exclusively in
greenhouses and
controlled climate
conditions, and
producers have to be
certified after their
farms are inspected and
the workers trained
before exports to the US
can be authorized.
The process is costly,
however, the investment
can be quickly recovered
as the products have a
higher value in the US
markets. |
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