Despite the complications that affected international trade due to the covid-19 outbreak, in Costa Rica in 2020, imports of grapes and oranges increased, a rise that is explained by the preference of consumers for fruits containing vitamin C.
The Foreign Trade Report of the Agricultural Sector 2019-2020, prepared by the Executive Secretariat of Agricultural Sector Planning (SEPSA), details that last year imports of fresh oranges in the country amounted to $14.8 million, 38% more than what was reported in 2019.
Salvadoran authorities have determined that the disease attacking citrus plantations, called Huanglongbing, could be present in crops in Santa Ana, Ahuachapán, La Libertad and La Paz.
After the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) declared a state of phytosanitary emergency on February 19, it was reported that the disease specifically attacks lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits and limes, in addition to the ornamental plant Murraya paniculata, commonly known as myrtle or jasmine.
The local authorities declared a state of phytosanitary emergency because of the detection of Huanglongbing, a disease that attacks citrus plantations.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) reported that the disease specifically attacks lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits and limes, in addition to the ornamental plant Murraya paniculata, commonly known as myrtle or jasmine.
In Costa Rica, consumption of fruit increased from 156 kilos per person per year in 2012 to 175 kilos in 2015, while in the same period consumption of vegetables fell from 117 kilos to 112 kilos.
The most recent trend study of the Comprehensive Agricultural Marketing Program (PIMA), states that the most consumed crops in the country are bananas, oranges, pineapple and watermelon, in the category of fruits, while in the group of vegetables and legumes the most salient are potato, tomato, cabbage and chayote.
In the last three years exports of tropical fruits in yogurt, juices and other presentations almost tripled, going from $22 million in 2013 to $81 million last year.
A stronger preference for natural products in markets such as the European and the American markets is the main reason behind the increase in exports of tropical fruit pastes or purees, which in 2016 totaled $81 million.
A new technology has been developed which reduces the moisture emitted by fruits and vegetables when processing dry products.
From a press release issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office:
Taura Natural Ingredients, a company which is a world leader in concentrated fruit products, has developed a series of products such as fruit pieces, flakes and pastes using Ultra Rapid Concentration (URC ®).