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After more than three years of legislative effort, Costa Rica has legalized hemp production and commercialization as well as cannabis for medicinal and therapeutic purposes. The Government’s commitment to publish implementing regulations – including those related to import and export of value-added products – by May 8, appears unlikely to be reached.

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.

South Asia, which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, accounts for 24 percent of the world’s population, with 1.84 billion people in 2019.

Costa Rican food processors and consumers trust and value food products that include U.S. raw materials and ingredients. Demand for quality ingredients has been steadily increasing...

Since the United States entered into the CAFTA-DR trade agreement, U.S. agricultural exports to the six CAFTA-DR countries have more than doubled.

Central America and the Caribbean, with their close geographical and economic ties to the United States, have always been an important market for U.S. agricultural exports.

In recent years, India’s exports have demonstrated phenomenal growth – especially to developing countries, which now account for nearly 80 percent of Indian exports.

Recent high-profile activism against biotechnology has created uncertainty among those involved in production and research of biotechnology products in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is a major importer of raw materials and ingredients for food processing in Central America, creating opportunities for U.S. products such as beef, pork, wheat, soybeans and vegetables.