EU is second-largest importer of Costa Rican agricultural produce
Costa Rica has been able to diversify its export range, which includes fresh and exotic products. All of these products are associated in international markets with practices such as organic farming, controlled environments, fair trade and biotechnology. Costa Rica is the world’s leading exporter of golden pineapples, and the leading exporter of fruits, vegetables and juices to Central America. It’s also the world’s third-largest exporter of bananas, which come with ISO 9000, GLOBALG.A.P., and Rain Forest Alliance certifications.
Source: Procomer
Grupo Visa, at the forefront of technology
The Visa Group has begun to produce its own energy thanks to the solar panels installed at its agricultural production plant. The resulting energy is consumed immediately during the hours of sunlight. The move, which represents a bid to ensure greater sustainability, involved the installation of 1,100 solar panels that can generate between 38 and 40% of the total energy consumed by the fresh pineapple processing plant. The period required for analysis, installation and commissioning of these panels lasted for around three months, and the panels can operate for up to 25 years.
Productos Agropecuarios Visa, located in the north of Costa Rica, is dedicated to planting, packing and exporting pineapple, cassava, papaya, yams, rambutan, eddoes and other roots.
UPALA Agrícola, pineapples produced via biodiversity-friendly processes
Upala Agrícola is a Costa Rican company dedicated to the production, packaging and marketing of fresh pineapple 365 days a year. The firm is located in the north of the country, in the canton of Upala, where it farms over 2,500 ha (1,600 ha of which are for production, with the remainder a conservation area) to the highest standards of quality, environmental harmony and corporate social responsibility. Alfredo Volio, president and CEO of Upala Agrícola, said: “Our product is the MD2 Gold variety of fresh pineapple, known as the Golden Pineapple and famed for its sweet taste, aroma and juiciness, as well as its yellow colour and its creamy texture inside. Our exports are distributed between North America and Europe, as well as the Middle East, Morocco and Turkey. The company exports around 100 to 110 containers a week, which means harvesting and sowing every day to be able to offer the product every day, every week.”
