United Fresh Live virtual trade show provides opportunities for agricultural exports

• Costa Rican companies promote fresh products such as sawtooth coriander, roots and tubers, bananas and pineapple.

San Jose, June 18, 2020. Given the changes that the world of foreign trade has undergone as a result of the pandemic, Costa Rican companies are relying on virtual trade shows to provide continuity for their businesses and to look for new opportunities that allow them to continue forward. Such is the case of the agricultural sector, which participated in United Fresh Live 2020, for the first time, from June 15 to 19.

Through a virtual country stand, companies can present interested buyers their offer of pineapple, roots and tubers, bananas, baby bananas, chayote, flowers and sawtooth coriander. In addition to this, the platform has a chat feature whereby companies can carry out one-on-one meetings with potential buyers and start new business transactions.

Coordination and support for companies was provided by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER), which seeks to highlight Costa Rica as a sustainable country, consolidating its presence in international markets and offering an alternative to national exporters in a pandemic scenario through virtual tools, promote business opportunities for companies in the agricultural sector and publicize the Costa Rican offer with added value and high quality standards through international certifications such as GLOBAL GAP, Rain Forest Alliance and FSSC22000.

Álvaro Piedra, Export Director of PROCOMER, stated, “The pandemic has been a challenge for all countries and industries, however, we have a solid, innovative agricultural sector in Costa Rica, with products that are well positioned. We took advantage of that reputation, and the digital platforms available, to let international markets know that Costa Rica continues to supply the world with quality, freshness, safety, passion, integrity and healthy products. We found many opportunities to continue generating business through this trade show.”

Edgar Medina, Commercial Director of Tropifoods, one of the participating companies, added that “due to the turn the world has recently taken, virtual trade shows become opportunities from every point of view, networking will be easier and with the accumulated experience of participating in trade shows for over 15 years, Tropifoods is sure that this new way of doing business is here to stay as the new normal. We are taking advantage of each contact to establish communication and carry out new business transactions in the United States, we thank PROCOMER and United Fresh for giving us this space and business opportunity in the new 2020 era. ”

Piedra mentioned that the sectors participating in United Fresh Live 2020 were strategically selected to include those reporting struggles since the virus began to impact Europe and the United States. “It is a way to offer support and accompaniment in this new normal,” added the Director of Exports.

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).