From 1 January 2015 20% of their agricultural imports must be produced sustainably, a percentage which will reach 100% in 2020.
Giovanna Valverde, Director of International Affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica (MAG), said the move is a big challenge for domestic farmers, but especially for pineapple and melon growers, and producers of ornamental plants and foliage.
The Costa Rican pineapple sector wants to consolidate the presence it has gained in major international markets.
It is negotiating with the Foreign Trade Promotion Office the terms needed to create a brand for the country in the next few months, which they hope will help maintain the explosive volume that has been exported.
"In just a decade, exports increased from $158 million in 2002, to reach a peak of $789 million in 2012, an increase of 400% making this fruit the number agricultural shipment above bananas and coffee," reported Elfinancierocr.com.
A provisional ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica has overturned a city ordinance banning the cultivation of pineapple, which aimed to prevent the activity's environmental impact.
Nacion.com reports that "The Fourth Chamber has ruled in favor of an appeal filed by the National Chamber of Pineapple Producers and Exporters (Canapep) against the decision of the Municipality of Pococí declaring a moratorium on the planting of this fruit in the territory of this canton. The ruling overturned the municipal agreement, taken on March 12, 2012, thereby reopening pineapple cultivation in Guápiles and its surrounding areas "
Environmental Regulations and Social Practice have been issued by the National Chamber of Pineapple Producers and Exporters of Costa Rica.
The Social and Environmental Management System for Sustainable Production of Pineapple (SG-PSP) is the standard of good environmental and social practices, to carry out the Environmental Responsibility Commitment, established by Canapep on June 5, 2008.
Costa Rica's success as a producer of the MD2 pineapple variety, is attempting to be copied by countries like Panama, Colombia and Ghana.
Costa Rica is the world's leading supplier of pineapple, a position it achieved in particular because of the quality and sweetness of the MD2 variety, characteristic due not only to technological equipment employed and processes that have been internationally certified, but also because of the special conditions of the soil and climate.
With the uncertainty created over the strike at the ports of Limon and Moin, exporters are starting to think about sending out their products via Panama or Caldera on the Pacific.
In light of the shutdown of the ports where 80% of national exports exit the country, the export sector is analyzing alternatives.
Abel Chavez, president of the National Chamber of Producers and Exporters of Pineapples (Canapep) noted that among the possibilities being studied are transporting products via the port of Caldera, Costa Rica's Pacific port or via Panamanian ones. These options represent a major increase in costs for the sector.
Due to continued growth, the country remains the largest exporter of fresh pineapples.
According to the National Chamber of Producers and Exporters of Pineapples (Canapep), revenues from foreign sales totaled $743 million. Juice concentrates were valued at $82 million.
The country has been the world's largest exporter of pineapples since 2007.
"Currently, Costa Rica has 45,000 acres devoted to pineapple production, mostly located in the north and Caribbean side of the country, according to data from Canapep.
In Costa Rica, October’s excessive rain has caused losses of $2.5 million in the sector.
Abel Chaves, president of the Chamber of Pineapple Producers and Exporters (Canapep in Spanish) explained that the losses include damage to plantations, delays in the preparation of crop areas, damage to farm infrastructure (bridges, canals and roads) and increases in transportation costs to ports of embarkation.
Pineapple and banana farmers can take advantage of the increased demand coming from these countries.
Being the leading exporter of pineapples in the world has not limited fruit growers in Costa Rica, who are trying to improve cultivation and their commitment to the environment in order to increase production and meet the growing demand from countries like China and India.
An agreement has been signed with the Environmental Tribunal to train 1300 farmers.
Throughout the year the fruit producers will participate in seminars where they will be taught about best production and environmentally friendly practices.
They will receive instruction on technical methods of land use, and function and location of treatment plants, among other things.
Traditional pineapple growing regions have become saturated by rapid crop expansion.
Costa Rica currently has 40,000 net hectares used for growing pineapple, located in the north and Atlantic regions of the country.
Abel Chaves, president of the Costa Rican Pineapple Growers and Exporters Association (Canapep), indicated that it is unlikely that the sector will continue to grow at the same rate it has managed until now, suggesting that production may already have reached its peak.
Between 2 and 5 years will pass until the Association Agreement with Europe enters into force, but Costa Rican exporters are already studying how to compete in that market.
Being more and more competitive seems to be the basic recipe to effectively compete in the EU’s 500 million person market.
Costa Rican businessmen are already seeking the necessary tools to achieve this indispensable increase in competitiveness: advice and training in how to export to Europe, business networking and adapting their goods to Europe’s demands and preferences.
The sector expects to increase exports in 2010, and for this they have planted 45.000 hectares.
Canapep, the National Chamber of Pineapple Growers and Exporters, is betting on increased demand from the U.S. west coast and new markets like Turkey and Iraq.
"According to Canapep forecasts, this combination of factors, plus good sales to Europe, will make the sector grow in 2010", reported Nacion.com.
In Costa Rica, the agricultural sector absorbs workers unemployed by construction.
The construction sector in Costa Rica, which faces a significant slowdown, laid off more than 17,000 workers at the end of 2008 as a product of the crisis. However, these workers were absorbed by rice, pineapple, sugar and coffee production.
In an analysis in elfinancierocr.com, the characteristics of this migration were described, reporting that the coffee harvest, which ended in March 2009, employed about 200 thousand workers, 40 thousand of whom were from the construction industry.
Exporters and producers estimate that they will maintain last year’s shipment levels and prices.
Mipunto.com reported: "The producer's sale price has held at $0.30 per kilo this year while at a packing plant the price has ranged between $4.75 and $5.25 per 12-kilo box, reported the newspaper La Nación, citing data from the National Chamber of Pineapple Exporters and Producers.