COSTA RICA

Capital: San Jose
Population:  4,016,000
Currency: Colon
Official Language(s): Spanish

I. CHEMICAL MAXIMUM RESIDUE LEVELS (MRLS)

    Please click on the above link for a list of chemical MRLs.

II. CHEMICALS AND ADDITIVE INFORMATION

    A. Chemical residue standards:

      Costa Rica's chemical residue standards are based on Codex and U.S. standards.

    B. Monitoring chemical residues:

      Costa Rica does not actively monitor chemical residues on imported fruit. A residue analysis laboratory is being built which will make monitoring residues possible in the future.

    C. Restrictions on use of waxes:

      Costa Rica follows U.S. established regulations on the use of waxes.

III. ORGANIC FRUIT REGULATIONS

No information.

IV. TARIFFS

As agreed under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement, the tariff rate for U.S. apples, pears and cherries is zero.

In order for importers to obtain this preferential duty free rate a Certificate of Origin must be provided.  See section Chapter V, Section F for more information.

V. NON-TARIFF BARRIERS

    A. Labeling requirements:

      Labels should be in Spanish and should include the following: Name of product, country of origin, name and address of the importer, net weight, U.S. quality grade. Net weight should be expressed in the metric system.

    B. Licenses and quotas:

      None.

    C. Currency Issues:

      Importers are no longer required to make prior deposits in Colones with the Central Bank. Importers can freely obtain foreign exchange at this time with no prior deposits.

    D. Pest and plant disease restrictions:

      An Import Permit (IP) and Phytosanitary Certificate (PC) are required.  

      Beginning in October 2009, Costa Rican plant quarantine officials have rejected a number of U.S. apple shipments due to the presence of grape mealybug (Pseudoccocus maritimus).  Given the behavior and biology of this aphid-like insect, it would be likely that the pest could escape cursory detection in the stem bowl or calyx end.  Grape mealybug is not listed as a primary pest of concern for Costa Rica in the USDA export certification database but is part of an additional long list of pests of quarantine concern identified by that country.

      In mid-January 2010 Costa Rican plant quarantine officials rejected a U.S. apple shipment due to the presence of codling moth (cydia pomonella).  Codling moth is not listed as a pest of concern for Costa Rica in the USDA export certification database.  To help avoid rejections, while discussions between plant health authorities sort out the situation, shippers exporting to Costa Rica should work closely with their state inspection officials and ask to have apple shipments inspected to be pest free.

E.  Solid Wood Packing Material (SWPM) Regulations:

F.  Certificate of Origin

A Certificate of Origin must accompany any shipment in order to obtain the preferential duty free tariff provided under the DR- CAFTA.

There is no official Certification of Origin form.  However, a “suggested form” for imports under DR-CAFTA, including instructions on how to fill in the form may be found at http://www.buyusa.gov/centralamerica/en/certificateorigin.html.

Special attention should be paid to entering the correct “preferential tariff treatment criteria” under box 7 of the suggested form.  For fruit exported from the Pacific Northwest the correct entry is the capital letter A; which designates the import as “it is a good wholly obtained or produced entirely in the territory of one or more of the Parties.”

VI. SUBSIDIES

Government officials give technical assistance to apple producers.

VII. MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES FOR PACIFIC     NORTHWEST TREE FRUIT INDUSTRY

Pear Bureau Northwest:

Luis Moreno
Grupo PM S.A. de C.V.
Morelos, MEXICO
Voice:   011 52 777 3167370
Fax:      011 52 777 3167369
E-mail:  grupopm@grupopm.com

Washington Apple Commission:

Juan Carlos Moriera
Centro Commercial El Pinar
Queretaro, Mexico
Voice/FAX:  011 52 442 218 1097
E-mail:  jcmets123@gmail.com

VIII.  OTHER RESOURCE LINKS:

Governmental: 

IX.  ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act was signed by President Bush on August 2, 2005.  Implementation of the FTA with Costa Rica began on January 1, 2009.

The bulk of apples imported from the U.S. come into the country in November and December. Demand is highest during the Christmas season. Lower quality apples are also being imported from Guatemala. Increasing domestic production of the Anna variety is substituting for imports from Guatemala to some extent. However, local importers believe that these domestic apples will have little impact on the imports from the U.S.

Special thanks to
FAS Field Office - Costa Rica

105 South 18th Street, Suite 105
Yakima, Washington 98901, USA
Voice: (509) 453-3193, Fax: (509) 457-7615
E-mail general@nwhort.org