Costa Rica Agriculture and Fishing Overview

Costa Rica Facts

Costa Rica is known for its tropical climate, powder white sand beaches, rum, beautiful people and music.
Capital: San José
Official language:
Spanish
Currency: Costa Rican Colon Passport and visa: A Finnish citizen can stay in Costa Rica as a tourist for 90 days without a visa. The passport must be valid for at least 3 months upon arrival in the country. Time difference to Finland: -8 Summer time: -9

The Costa Rica departure fee for international flights is USD 26, as well as the airport security fee of USD 0.60 for domestic flights and USD 3 for international flights, payable in cash at airports upon departure.

Agriculture and fishing

Bananas and coffee have long dominated agriculture and are still major export products. Investments have also been made on a number of other crops and Costa Rica is among other things the world’s leading exporter of pineapple. But the country is no longer a prominent agricultural nation.

  • CountryAAH: Comprehensive import regulations of Costa Rica. Covers import prohibitions and special documentation requirements for a list of prohibited items.

Costa Rica is still one of the world’s largest banana exporters. The banana plantations are located in the lowlands, mainly on the Caribbean but also on the Pacific side. Previous banana crops have in their place been replaced by cocoa, palm trees, sugar cane and fruit, mainly the export success of pineapple. However, the rapid spread of pineapple plantations has triggered criticism due to environmental degradation, the crops require a lot of fertilizers and pesticides.

The coffee is grown mainly on fertile volcanic slopes on the central plateau. The plantations are often small but technically advanced and the harvests are among the largest in the world in relation to the cultivated area. The coffee also holds very high quality. For Costa Rica defense and foreign policy, please check themotorcyclers.

Traditionally, sugar cane and beef have been important export products, but they have decreased in importance. Instead, investments have been made on crops such as flowers, palm oil and tropical fruit, not least pineapple, but also melons and citrus fruits. The export initiatives have meant that staple goods such as rice, maize and beans must now also be imported in order to meet the domestic need.

In recent years, fish exports have been expanded through the cultivation of mainly tilapia in northwestern Costa Rica, where the water from a power dam on Lake Arenal is used. Tuna, sardines, shark and shrimp are also caught in the sea.

Forest deforestation was previously a major environmental problem, but it has been slowed down by strict regulation. Investments are made on replanting; almost half of the country’s area is estimated to be covered by forest. About a quarter of the land area is also nature protected in some form, in up to 200 national parks, sanctuaries, nature conservation areas etc. Costa Rica was early in trading carbon dioxide rights, as part of the fight against the greenhouse effect.

FACTS – AGRICULTURE

Agriculture’s share of GDP

4.6 percent (2018)

Percentage of land used for agriculture

34.5 percent (2016)

  • Abbreviationfinder.org: Offers how the 3-letter acronym of CRI stands for the state of Costa Rica in geography.

Costa Rica Agriculture and Fishing