Costa Rica’s agri-food sector is looking for new opportunities in North America

• Activities are carried out in the states of Miami, New York, Houston and Los Angeles, as well as in Canada.

San José, April 15, 2021. In order to promote Costa Rica’s exportable supply in the agricultural and food sectors, a virtual trade mission is being held from April 13 to 23 with potential customers in North America, the main destination region for Costa Rican products.

A total of 19 Costa Rican companies are participating: 12 from the agricultural sector and seven from the food industry. The products being promoted in the mission are: coconut, fresh bananas, fresh pineapple, fresh roots and tubers, avocado, pitahaya, rambutan, sauces and preserves, condiments, IQF fruits, juices and concentrates, canned hearts of palm and fruit snacks.

Of these 19 participating companies, five are from the Greater Metropolitan Area, two from the Huetar Caribe region, one from the Chorotega region, four from the Brunca region and seven from the Huetar Norte region.

“The United States and Canada are demanding and sophisticated markets, they demand quality and differentiation, precisely what we are promoting to potential buyers. We are giving them the opportunity to meet with Costa Rican companies that meet their standards, offering them varied and innovative products, many of them with certifications. Meanwhile, we are providing exporters with the necessary support to diversify their client portfolio and grow their business,” said Álvaro Piedra, Export Director of the Foreign Trade Agency of Costa Rica.

Gabriela Retana, Administrative Manager of Sema Foods, added that “we are very pleased with the participation we are having in the trade mission to the United States and Canada, it has been very profitable. The issue of the certifications we already have opened a very interesting market for us, both for our fresh and processed products. Now we are going to follow up and hopefully doors will open, and new opportunities will arise.

This trade mission is being carried out with potential buyers from the states of Miami, New York, Houston and Los Angeles, as well as Canada. The prospecting of these clients was carried out through the Foreign Trade Agency of Costa Rica’s Trade Promotion Offices in these destinations.

In the first two months of this year 2021, the agricultural sector -second in importance within the exports of goods of the pals with a 21% share- exported a total of $435 million. While the food industry -third most important sector with a 14% share- exported $284 million.

During the same period, Costa Rica exported $173.3 million to the U.S. market, the main products being: other medical devices; other needles and catheters, cannulas and similar instruments; pineapple; bananas; serum infusion and transfusion equipment; prostheses for medical use; integrated circuits and electronic microstructures; electrodiagnostic devices; gold coffee; and tires.