Fewer orders from abroad, falling prices and the devaluation of the dollar have affected the sector.
Monday, March 28, 2011
According to the Foreign Trade Promoter, Procomer, in the case of ornamental plants the values were $ 83 million in 2008, $ 67 million in 2009 and $ 78 million in 2010.
For foliage the values were $ 77 million in 2008, $ 64 million in 2009 and $ 63 million in 2010.
"The export of flowers was $ 42 million in 2007, lowering to $ 37 million in 2008 and stagnating at $ 33 million in each of the last two years," reported Nacion.com. "According to the Chamber of Producers and Exporters of Plants, Flowers and Foliage, the industry is facing a contraction which comes from the global crisis of 2008 and 2009, but was aggravated by the declining profits from depreciation of the dollar."
Exporters of ornamental plants are waiting for government approval in order to be part of the delegation which will request the reopening of the European market, which has been closed since May 2015.
The Chamber of Producers and Exporters of Plant Products (Caprodex) argues that the request was made on July 8 to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) and there has not yet been a response to the request to attend on September 22 the meeting to be held in Brussels to demand the reopening of the market for ornamental plants from Costa Rica.In May2015the European Union banned ornamental coffee plants from Costa Rica and Hondurasin order to prevent the entry of the bacteria Xylella fastidiosa.
125 companies are engaged in the production and export of ornamental plants, flowers and foliage, generating more than $86 million in revenue in 2014 alone.
Companies in this sector plan expect to close 2015 with an increase of 5% in exports of ornamental plants compared to 2014, although the European market has yet to regain the levels of imports of plants and flowers it had before the crisis that erupted in 2009.
In Costa Rica the number of registered firms exporting ferns and foliage fell from 78 to 48 between 2008 and 2013 while exports fell by 46%.
The international crisis that began in late 2008 significantly affected the export sector of foliage and ferns in Costa Rica, which to date has not been recovered the levels prior to the onslaught of the crisis =.
New techniques for rooting, among others, can be used to add value to products and get closer to the markets such as Mexico, Europe and Japan.
From a statement by the Guatemalan Exporters Association:
"The sale of ornamental plants, flowers and foliage to markets in the U.S., Europe, Japan and Central America, among others, were an important component for the industry in the Ornamental Plants, Foliage and Flowers sector of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters, AGEXPORT, closing 2013 with a growth of 9% compared to 2012.