COSTA RICA EXPORTS TOTALED MORE THAN $12 BILLION AS OF OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR

• Growth in the accumulated January – October 2021 in relation to the same period of 2020 was 26%.
• All sectors show an increase, most of them in double digits.

San Jose, November 19, 2021. In the accumulated from January to October of this 2021, Costa Rica’s exports reached a record figure of $12,088 million, which represents a growth of 26% or $2,514 million more in relation to the same period of 2020.

When analyzing the statistics, revealed by the Foreign Trade Agency of Costa Rica (PROCOMER), it is shown that this is the most important growth of that period (January-October) in the last five years. In 2017 it was 8%, in 2018 it was 6%, in 2019 it was 2%, in 2020 it was -0.3% – product of the crisis due to the pandemic – and this 2021 it was 26%.

In this period all sectors show an increase, most of them in double digits. Precision and medical equipment – the main export sector of Costa Rica – presents a growth of 38%, the agricultural sector 7%, the food industry 27%, pharmaceutical chemical 10%, electrical and electronic 42%, metalworking 68%, plastic 27%, livestock and fishing 6% and rubber 35%.

In relation to the goods that show the highest growth in this period are: medical devices (+$1,166 million), syrups and concentrates for soft drinks (+$125 million), pineapple (+$110 million), electrical cables (+$85 million), iron or steel bars (+$70 million), palm oil (+$66 million), tires (+$48 million), glass containers (+$47 million), rolled iron or steel products (+$38 million) and fruit juices and concentrates (+$37 million).

“Costa Rica continues to demonstrate to the world that it has a robust, resilient export sector and that it has a quality and diversified offer. This data pleases us since we see that the recovery of the sector has gradually come to fruition, and that the country has many opportunities abroad. Proof of these is that exports grow at double digits to all regions of the world: North America grew by 28%, Central America by 27%, South America by 62%, the Caribbean by 32%, Europe by 18% and Asia by 28%”, said the Minister of Foreign Trade and Chairman of the Board of Directors of PROCOMER,  Andrés Valenciano Yamuni.

On the other hand, Pedro Beirute Prada, General Manager of PROCOMER, reiterated the importance of diversifying the exportable supply during this period of recovery after the crisis. “When analyzing the main export products from January to October of this year, we can see that they belong to different sectors, which makes us see the importance of not depending on few goods in international markets. Medical devices, bananas, pineapple, syrups and concentrates for soft drinks, gold coffee, electrical cables, palm oil, fruit juices and concentrates, tires and medicines are listed as those main products that Costa Rica exports to the world,” he added.