Tico flower producers seek buyers in Europe

costa developers

Eleven companies exporting flowers and plants will exhibit their products this week at the world’s largest flora fair, the IPM Essen 2013 in Germany.

The event brings together some 1,500 exhibitors showcasing their products to 60,000 buyers from 90 countries, according to Costa Rica's Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER).

Company representatives also will participate in business meetings with buyers from Poland, according to PROCOMER Trade Promotion Manager Álvaro Piedra, who added that recent studies carried out by them show that the Polish market is very attractive for Costa Rican producers.

The results indicate that there are more than 200 Tico products with export potential to Poland, especially plants, flowers, foliage and fresh produce.

"Poland has a population of 38 million, is the sixth most populous country in the 27 that make up the European Union, and its economy has recently shown attractive economic growth," Piedra said.

In 2010, Costa Rica exported some $140 million in flowers and foliage, especially to the United States and Europe.

Posted by Costa Developers

Costa Rica exports buses for the first time

A Korean-owned company Daewoo expects to sell 100 buses in the next two years.

Korean company Daewoo Bus Costa Rica Co. this week is sending the first six buses built in the country to El Salvador. That nation bought a total of 12 buses at a cost of $2 million. The other six will be shipped in January.

Last year, Costa Rica exported $280 million worth of auto parts, but this is the first time the country exports entire vehicles.

The Daewoo plant in Santa Ana, southwest of the capital, has a production capacity of some 300 units per year. Daewoo also is the leading brand of buses in the country, with nearly 36 percent of the local market.

This company is an example of how foreign direct investment contributes to the dynamism in the economy, the development of local suppliers and the transfer of technology and knowledge.

Posted by Costa Developers