With the equivalence renewal, Costa Rica remains in the EU’s list of third party nations, for an unlimited time, and on Switzerland’s list until 2013, allowing it to export organic products to the European market with a certification issued by national certification bodies under Costa Rican regulations and with the supervision of the SFE, an entity qualified at the national level.
A press release from the State Phytosanitary Service reads:
Despite having the advantage of being recognized by the EU for its local certification processes, the country is not making the most of this potential.
A study presented by Costa Rica's export promotion agency, Procomer, highlights that the worldwide demand for organic products has increased from $25 million in 2003 to $55 million in 2009, according to information from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
Dominican Republic and Central America have agreed to unify the regulations governing organic agriculture.
The policies are based on rules by Codex Alimentarius, created in 1963 by FAO and the WHO to develop food standards, guidelines and related texts such as practices under the joint FAO / WHO Food Standard Program. The main purpose of the program is to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair trade practices as well as to promote coordination of food standards.
Despite a law passed in 2006 promoting the sector, areas used for organic crops declined by 25% between 2006 and 2009.
According to information reported by the Accreditation and Registration Program of Organic Agriculture, in 2006 the country had 10.711 hectares devoted to organic products, of which only 8.052 remain in 2009.
"The law, issued in September 2006, allows exemption from income tax for 10 years, the elimination of taxes on inputs and sales tax, but it also requires certification in order to qualify for the legal benefits," explains the article in Nacion.com.
The organic agriculture company will expands to the U.S. from Costa Rica.
In alliance with CSF (“Cooperativas Sin Fronteras”) and Bioproductos Oro Verde, the Italian enterprise seeks to enter the U.S. market using the benefits of the Free Trade Agreement between both countries.
From Elfinancierocr.com: “Alce Nero & Mielizia processes cacao, honeys, juices and other products, and plans to export finished goods made with Costa Rican raw materials, confirmed Hugo Valdéz, coordinator at CSF”.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates than in the next three years demand for organic products will increase 10% in developed economies.
This could be a good opportunity for developing countries, that will have to invest in order to comply with the requisites for selling these goods.
Francisco Gamboa, director of Commercial Intelligence at Costa Rica’s export promotion agency Procomer, commented this is an opportunity for Costa Rican growers to increase their share in developed markets.
There is growing demand for organic and kosher food in the Northeastern states of the U.S.
In the last year, this region imported $16.500 million, out of which Costa Rica only captured 0.3% ($50 million) according to data from Procomer, the exports promotion agency.
Emmanuel Hess, Procomer manager, told Nacion.com: "We want to redirect our supply of high value food products to cities with high purchasing power in the United States".