Since December 2020, exporters and importers of plant products will be able to process certifications digitally with the Costa Rican authorities.
The digitalization process modernizes the way of trade, makes it faster and more reliable and eliminates the use of paper, simplifying procedures, reducing time and costs, explains a statement from the State Phytosanitary Service (SFE).
In markets such as North America and Western Europe, a consumer segment wants the grain to meet aspects such as ethical and sustainable sourcing, and its production process to be certified.
According to the study "Trends and Opportunities for value-added coffee exports" conducted by the Differentiated Coffees Committee of AGEXPORT, reveals how to change the strategies for marketing good quality coffee with higher value added (roasted), for the next coffee harvest of 2,019 - 2,020 and those to come.
The controversial charge of $1,874 to certify commercial use of drones has been suspended for a period of six months while the Attorney General decides on its legality.
The suspension of the charge applies to all commercial users of drones for a period of six months.At the same time, the government has announced a differentiated regime for micro enterprises registered as such with the MEIC, meaning that they are exempted from the payment of $1,874 for certification.
Companies exporting conventional pineapples labeled as organic to the United States have been denounced.
Companies who want to keep selling organic pineapples in Costa Rica's main market for agricultural exports say the act of sending conventional fruit labeled as "organic" threatens "... the prestige of Costa Rica in that nation."A group of member companies of the National Chamber of Organic Agriculture (Canagro) has filed a complaint against a pineapple company in San Carlos.
Reports in Nicaragua indicate that only five companies managed to obtain the certificate which will be needed from July 1st to export by sea.
The Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP warned that a week before the rule takes effect, only five exporting companies have carried out the procedures needed to certify the weight of marine cargo when the rule goes into effect.
Nicaraguan health authorities have restricted access to products elaborated by the Costa Rican company Dos Pinos and two other companies for failing to obtain health certification for their processing plants.
In a circular apparently issued by the company Dos Pinos, the entity may have indicated to its customers that due to non-renewal of health certificates for the industrializing plant they may not be able to continue expending their products until the situation has been resolved.This is the version stated by Laprensa.com.ni, who also explained that the Country manager at Dos Pinos in Nicaragua, Oswaldo Gonzalez Quijano said in the document"... The measure taken by the Government of Nicaragua 'has no technical basis'."
Starting from June a pilot plan will be implemented to determine the weight of the containers leaving the country by sea.
The pilot plan will start in June and will be used to define the rules designed to improve the safety of merchant ships. The plan is currently in draft form. Nacion.com explains that the document "... is being analyzed by at least 20 companies and organizations, in order to receive comments and make improvements."
The new version is optionally immediately applicable together with the current Version 4 and will be mandatory for all new and rectified audits from July 1, 2016.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office :
The GLOBALG.AP Board recently announced the introduction of an update to version 5 of its food safety standard Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) for crops and aquaculture.
The country will present itself before the WTO to establish that the import of avocados will be subject to certification showing its precedence from zones free of Sun-Bloch.
The request will be made by Costa Rica through the World Trade Organization (WTO), whose Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures meets this week. As part of that committee, Mexico and Guatemala had announced that they would initiate a mechanism of "commercial concern " over the restrictions imposed on entry of the fruit into Costa Rica.
The International Standards Organization plans to publish the new ISO standards 14001: 2015 on environmental management in September of 2015.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
New ISO standard will be published in September
In order to respond to market changes and demands, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) plans to publish the new ISO standard 14001: 2015 on environmental management in September 2015.
On January 20 a sanitary protocol was ratified which enables the export of shrimp caught in Costa Rican waters to China.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG):
During the visit by the President of the Republic, Luis Guillermo Solis Rivera, to China, ratification was given to signing of a sanitation protocol for the export of prawns, a prerequisite for the official opening up of the Chinese market for prawns caught in Costa Rican waters.
With the Global GAP certification that they hope to obtain this year, with 12,000 hectares of crops Mexico projects that it will increase its fruit exports to the US market.
From a press release issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer) :
Mexico to increase mango exports
54% of the 135,000 tonnes of mango estimated to be produced in 2015 in Michoacán (about 73,000 tons) will be for export.
Due to recent seizures of products attempting to enter the country without health permits, an announced has been made of enhanced controls to prevent the entry of any food that does not have the appropriate certifications.
From a statement issued by the Government of Panama:
Pursuant to the Health Standards and / or phytosanitary and health protection of the population, the Panamanian Authority for Food Safety (AUPSA) reiterates that any food product that does not meet the required provisions will be retained, returned or incinerated if necessary.
The consumption of food products certified as Fairtrade is maintaining its upward trend, especially in developed markets such as Europe and North America.
From a statement issued by the Foreign Trade Promotion Office of Costa Rica (Procomer):
Reyka Fick, communicator at the firm Fairtrade International, said that in the last year Fairtrade certified products grew internationally and even grew in markets such as South Africa, Kenya and India."In terms of a marketing approach, a central part of the strategy followed in producing countries (such as those previously mentioned) is to support the domestic market," said Fick.
Pork producers in Costa Rica are complaining that they are trying to directly export pork to Asian markets, but slaughterhouses "only want the business for themselves."
Porcicultor industry entrepreneurs are trying to open new markets, especially in countries with which Costa Rica has signed trade agreements, but are complaining that slaughterhouses have rejected their applications for processing meat, sometimes citing lack of certifications and in other cases, because " ... 'What slaughterhouses want is customers and to keep paying low prices to producers"," said the Speaker of the Chamber of Pork Producers, Renato Alvarado to Elfinancierocr.com ."