Costa Rica Enjoys
Solid Year Start
Exports from Costa Rica were up in January,
with the agriculture sector showing the most
promising signs of growth Despite a 9 per
cent decline in overseas shipments last
year, Costa Rica recorded a 22 per cent
growth in export value in January as
sendings rose to US$727.9 million, according
to figures released by the country’s Foreign
Trade Promotion Office (Procomer).
Several of the country’s export sectors
experienced considerable growth in the first
month of the year, led by the agriculture
industry, which recorded a 28 per cent and
69 per cent increase in pineapple and melon
sendings respectively in comparison to
January 2009.
Coffee and bananas, Costa Rica’s traditional
export items, also showed signs of
rebounding from a difficult 2009, when
banana exports fell by 15 per cent and
coffee by over 31 per cent, with both
products enjoying a growth in shipments
during January.
“The numbers indicate the possibilities for
growth for the banana industry in new
markets,” explained Marco Vinicio Ruiz,
Costa Rica’s foreign trade minister. “These
results allow us to continue with the
established projections of the commercial
agenda, which we expect to be favourable in
the export market as we enter new markets.”
Of the export total, 40 per cent of
shipments in January were sent to North
America (up 181 per cent on January 2009),
19 per cent to Asia (+76 per cent) and 17
per cent to the European Union (EU). The
balance was distributed within Central
America and the Caribbean.
Earlier this year, Costa Rica also finalised
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with
Singapore and China, and this week will
enter the seventh round of FTA discussions
with the EU.
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