Browse Data and Analysis

On June 4, a Costa Rican court restored the Chaves administration's policy of dramatically lower tariffs on imported milled and rough rice, overturning an earlier court ruling that reversed the lower tariffs in April 2024.

FAS/San José anticipates Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Trade to allocate 2024 Dominican Republic - Central America Free Trade Agreement rice quota allocations by the end of April, effectively constraining the availability of U.S. duty-free rice to the final eight months of 2024. Though Costa Rica typically allocates quota volumes in December of the preceding year, calculations of 2024 volumes have been contested by importers following an extraordinary process resulting from a 2022 cyber attack.

Costa Rica reinstated 35 percent tariffs on non-U.S.-origin rice after an administrative court overturned an August 2022 tariff reduction and the Government’s appeal was rejected. Demand for U.S. rice has surged following the tariff restoration on reduced South American-origin rice competitiveness.

U.S. rough rice exports have plummeted and the decline of Costa Rican rice production has accelerated sharply following the Government of Costa Rica’s August 2022 tariff rate reduction on imported rice from all origins.

Dashboard that demonstrates the scope of Black Sea grain and oilseed trade. Millions of tons of grain are shipped through these international waters each year, making the Black Sea region a major supplier of agricultural commodities worldwide.

On July 6, the Government of Costa Rica published a draft executive decree that would dramatically reduce tariffs on imported milled and rough rice. The vast majority of U.S. rice exported to Costa Rica in 2021 (valued at $25 million) entered under a duty free quota for rough rice established by the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement.

Damage to port facilities in New Orleans during Hurricane Ida caused significant delays to shipments of U.S. feed grains to Costa Rica, where the poultry, pork, and dairy sectors rely almost exclusively on U.S. suppliers.

Year-on-year Romanian grain production in marketing year (MY) 2021/22 is projected to grow by 28 percent following last year’s severe summer drought.

Late spring and early summer precipitation marginally improved Romanian winter grains development, but provided spring crops a good start.

Romania’s grain production is forecast down by 2.6 percent in marketing year (MY) 2020/21 from MY 2019/20.

On April 9, the Government of Romania (GOR) suspended most exports of grains, oilseeds, and related products as of April 10, 2020, to non-European Union (EU) markets.

Costa Rican consumers rushed to the supermarkets to buy higher volumes of basic staples such as rice and beans as the first cases of COVID-19 hit the country in March.