After Grupo Lala decided to close the operations of its dairy production plant in Costa Rica, a debate began over whether Dos Pinos' dominance in the local market was due to protectionist policies or to the brand positioning, quality and price of its products.
In Costa Rica, a bill is in progress that contemplates eliminating fines for the first member of a cartel that recognizes and denounces to the authorities that has engaged in monopolistic practices.
As part of the bills for Costa Rica's entry into the OECD, deputies voted in second debate file No. 21.303, Law strengthening the competition authorities of Costa Rica, reported last August 29 the Legislative Assembly.
Seven years after Cofasa filed a monopoly complaint against Fischel, in Costa Rica the Commission for the Promotion of Competition decided to impose a fine of almost $19 million on the pharmacy chain.
Representatives of the Commission for the Promotion of Competition (Coprocom), informed that the fine imposed on Fischel is provisional, since the resolution is in the appeals phase, so it is not final and cannot be released figures or other aspects of the ruling.
With a lawsuit against the Ministry of Foreign Trade in Costa Rica the virtually monopolistic Liga Agrícola Industrial de la Caña de Azúcar is attempting to limit the quotas for historical importers of the grain.
The administrative proceedings presented by Liga Agrícola Industrial de la Caña de Azúcar (LAICA) against the Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX), aim to limit the quotas for historic imports of sugar, and could have consequences for other mass consumption products in the country.
At the request of the Agricultural Cane League the government has extended until the end of November the investigation into alleged dumping against the sugar importer La Maquila Lama.
The as yet unresolved conflict could once again make its presence felt with the import of organic sugar on the part of the Agricultural Cane League and also the importer La Maquila Lama, who filed with the Commission to Promote Competition (COPROCOM) a complaint of alleged monopolistic practices.See: "Sugar War in Costa Rica".
Maquila Lama has denounced the Agricultural Industrial Cane League for "pressuring wholesale businesses to remove" the product that the importer distributes.
In a statement the company Maquila Lama says that"... for several days notices have been received from stores that sell the Mr. Maximus brand of sugar, in which it was indicated that sales representatives from LAICA have come to offer better conditions such as providing credit and transportation of the product to their outlets, among other things, with the condition that they stop selling Mr. Maximo sugar on their premises. "
In Costa Rica the virtually monopolistic Industrial Sugar Cane Agricultural League is supporting a recent decree that protects blocking imports of sugar by forcing sugar fortification to be done it its place of origin.
EDITORIAL
A statement issued by the Industrial Sugarcane Agricultural League (LAICA) abounds in views on the relevance of sugar fortification -which nobody questions-, and on the supposed benefits that the company brings to the Costa Rican consumers, including " stable prices. "
The state-run telecom company ICE will pay $4 million for abusing its market power to bar entry to or cause the exit of other operators.
From a statement issued by the Superintendent of Telecommunications of Costa Rica (Sutel):
- Offenders must pay a fine of 0.58% of their gross income on mobile phones obtained during the preceding fiscal period because of the anti-competitive practice.
Movistar's appeal accusing the ICE of concentration of 2.6 Ghz spectrum and impeding it from using the 4G network until the law suit was resolved, has been rejected.
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad may continue marketing cellular services for its 4G network after the Administrative Court rejected an appeal by its competitor Movistar.
Four months ago mergers and acquisitions in Costa Rica were conducted without any governmental control.
Now, operations of this type over $15 million must be authorized by the Commission to Promote Competition (COPROCOM) in the first four months of rule of law, four mergers or acquisitions of companies have been authorized
Nación.com reports: "It is related to the purchase of the dairy company Monteverde by Sigma Alimentos, the acquisition of Archives Beeche by Document Management Solutions SRL (DMS), the sale of El Lagar to Ashland Financial SA and the sale of Almacenes El Colono to Agricultore (sic) Advisory Corp. SA ".
As of April 5 mergers and acquisitions will have to be approved at the Antitrust Commission, part of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade, before they can take place.
From that date, the Antitrust Commission, at the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC), will have the power to approve or deny deals, if it is concluded that they would result in undue concentration of business.
Analysis of the amendment to the Law for Promotion of Competition and Effective Defence of the Consumer which now establishes prior control of economic concentrations.
Competition Bulletin, the Antitrust Commission (COPROCOM):
"... a partial amendment has recently been approved to Law No. 7472, which introduces important changes in antitrust
regulations, consistent with international best practices."
In Costa Rica, Compañía Farmacéutica S. A. (Cofasa) has filed a suit over monopolistic acts by the Corporation which owns the Fischel pharmacies .
Cofasa's lawyer, in a complaint before the National Competition Commission at the Ministry of Economy, said that the CEFA Corporation, which owns the pharmacy chain Fischel, "... concentrates in the same company the manufacturing, importation, purchase from national manufacturers, wholesale distribution and retail sale of medicines", reports Nacion.com.
The Commission to Promote Competition has opened an investigation into the international company, which has been accused by pork producers in Costa Rica of setting the prices of pork cuts below the market price.
The Commission to Promote Competition (COPROCOM) agreed to initiate a preliminary investigation against the supermarket chain Wal-Mart for alleged monopolistic practices, reported Nacion.com.
The Costa Rica Chamber of Pork Producers is taking Walmart to the Commission for the Promotion of Competition (CPC) for alleged monopolistic practices.
The Chamber’s measure is based on an alleged drop in prices of pork cuts at levels below market value, reports Nacion.com.
The Speaker of the House, Renato Alvarado said an inspection of prices was conducted in different supermarkets belonging to the chain, confirming that the practice of lower prices was observed in places where the producer wants to go 'vertical' (participating in all stages of chain from production to slaughter).