Agricultural sector ventures into the virtual world to promote exports

• Banana, pineapple, rambutan, coconut and ginger are the promoted products.
• 70 business appointments are scheduled.

San Jose, June 24, 2020. After the recent participation in the United Fresh Live virtual trade show and a trade mission in Europe under the same format, the agricultural sector of Costa Rica will participate in a virtual trade mission with buyers from the United States and Canada, looking for opportunities in international markets to place their fresh products. The activity is scheduled to take place between June 22 to 26 and will be attended by 17 Costa Rican companies.

The products promoted at the sessions include bananas, pineapple, rambutan, coconut and ginger, and some 70 business appointments have been scheduled.

Prior to carrying out the trade mission, the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER), through its Trade Promotion Offices (OPCs), consulted with the different buyers to assess their interest in reactivating their fruit purchases. Based on the positive responses, the exporting companies prepared documents indicating their value proposition, products and certifications, to share with stakeholders before the virtual sessions.

According to Álvaro Piedra, Director of Exports of PROCOMER, this virtual trade mission allows entrepreneurs to generate new business transactions with clients from traditional and new markets. In addition, it allows them to take advantage of virtual meetings to present their products without leaving the country, which is of great importance during the current pandemic.

Piedra added that the first virtual trade mission that took place in Europe in April, had positive results, so it was decided to continue with this promotion strategy. According to the Director of Exports, some of the results that were:

• Ginger to Germany.
• Mango to the United Kingdom.
• Cantaloupe, watermelon, papaya and mango to Spain.
• Pineapple to Poland.
• Ginger and sweet potato to France.

For Pablo Valle, representative of the Association of Producers of Tropical Fruits of Corredores (Aprofrut), his participation in the trade mission has been gratifying. “We have come in contact with people who have a philosophy similar to that of our farmers and feel that our participation has helped us take steps in the right direction. We are always on the lookout for ways to help the producers of the Southern Zone fulfill their dreams. We want to transform their journey and our goals must align with those proposed in these virtual meetings.”

The agricultural sector represented 25%, or $986 million, of the country’s total exports for the first quarter of 2020. The products that started the year out with a positive trend were: green coffee beans (+ $23 million), ginger (+ $2 million), banana (+ $2 million), ornamental plants (+ $2 million) and cassava (+ $1 million).