Costa Rica prepares its first export of sweet chilli pepper to the US
After two consecutive years of exporting fresh tomatoes to the US, Costa Rica now has the opportunity to export sweet chilli pepper to its North American neighbour through Del Monte, which has approximately 21 hectares in greenhouses in Buenos Aires de Puntarenas, Costa Rica’s State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) reports. Mr. Erik Cedeño, from the SFE, has announced that the first shipment is scheduled for the second half of December.
The SFE reports that in January 2009, following three years of intensive preparations, a protocol was signed permitting the export of fresh ripe tomato and chilli peppers to the United States. The first exporters to export according to this protocol were small producers from Zarcero, who shipped tomatoes in 2009, two weeks after the agreement was signed.
According to the SFE, as a result of the joint work undertaken by the State Phytosanitary Service of Costa Rica and the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to identify areas of low prevalence of the Mediterranean fruit fly, it became possible to open the market for these products, and this could lead to opportunities for other tropical fruits and vegetables.
One of the regulations implemented by the United States for the export of chilli peppers and fresh tomatoes produced in Costa Rica was the requirement of having a government employee from the SFE permanently based at the packing plant and watching over production in the greenhouses.
Inspectors must supervise these crops on almost a full-time basis during the harvest season, which lasts three months, Mrs. Gina Monteverde, Head of Exports, declared.
In conjunction with Del Monte, the SFE´s Fruit Fly Programme is monitoring the presence of fruit flies in the greenhouses and in an area 500 metres wide.
Source: Peppers Today
Great article! With all that Costa Rican sunshine and rain water I could see some farms really thriving. As more farmland in the US gets developed into homes, the US and the world is going to need those veggies. For that matter Costa Rican food could also use more diferent kinds of vegetables and especially peppers. Peppers give a dish a lot of flavor and complexity. Cheers!
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