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Though relatively small, the Costa Rican food processing sector relies on U.S. exporters to maintain critical supply chains. Proximity, reliability, and familiarity help make the United States the preferred supplier for a wide range of food processing ingredients, including wheat, corn, and animal proteins.

FAS/San José expects Costa Rican sugar production in marketing year 2023/24 to recover from a 20-year low in the previous year and to continue to rise in marketing year 2024/25 on expanded area planted to sugarcane as producers in Guanacaste continue to abandon rice production.

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.

Though relatively small, the Costa Rican food processing sector relies on U.S. exporters to maintain critical supply chains. Proximity, reliability, and familiarity help make the United States the preferred supplier for a wide range of food processing ingredients, including wheat, corn, and animal proteins.

A new export certificate for raw bovine parts has expanded U.S. exporters' access to the booming Costa Rican pet food market. U.S. pet food exports to Cost Rica have nearly doubled year-to-date, reaching $39 million through October 2021.

After overcoming COVID-related labor and supply chain disruptions, Costa Rica’s orange production is expected to rebound to 300,000 metric tons in 2022, pushing total orange juice exports slightly higher to 33,000 metric tons.

With a stable democracy, predictable business climate, and economic growth fueled by a resurgent tourism industry, Costa Rica presents excellent export opportunities for U.S. food and beverage exporters in 2022.

While commercial production remains relatively small, FAS/San José expects area planted to genetically engineered crops in Costa Rica to grow modestly in 2022. Neither livestock nor other animal producers in Costa Rica appear interested in animal...

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.

Costa Rica’s hotel, restaurant, and institutional sector continued to struggle through significantly lower tourism activity and COVID-19 measures that restricted dining opportunities through the first nine months of 2021.

This report provides information on the export certification requirements of the Government of Costa Rica.