Costa Rica Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in Costa Rica, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals.
Select Country Guide
Agriculture
Last published date:

Overview

The United States is the single most important agricultural partner for Costa Rica due to its geographical proximity as well as a wide selection of high-quality, competitively priced products. However, competition in the Costa Rican market is increasing following implementation of free trade agreements with several countries and blocs, including Mexico (1995), Chile (2002), Canada (2002), the Caribbean (2005), Panama (2008), the People’s Republic of China (2011), Peru (2013), Singapore (2013), the EU (2013), Colombia (2014), South Korea (2019), United Kingdom (2021), Ecuador (2024), and United Arab Emirates (2025).  Costa Rica is a member of the Central American Common Market, which sets low to zero duties for most agricultural products.  After a long process that started in October 2007, Costa Rica approved an “Association Agreement” with the European Union in October 2013. 

Most grains are imported into Costa Rica in bulk, limiting the import market to a few major players. There are two wheat mills (Molinos de Costa Rica and Fábrica de Harinas de Centroamérica), which account for the purchase of all wheat imports. Two groups of private sector importers buy almost all the yellow corn and soybean imports. One soybean crusher in particular, Inolasa, imports all the soybeans for the animal feed industry.  Rice is generally imported by a group of producers and millers grouped under the name CONARROZ (the National Rice Corporation).  

Import permits (other than those for phytosanitary and sanitary requirements) are not required for imports of grains, poultry, meat, dairy products or any other agricultural product, according to the terms of Costa Rica’s GATT accession agreement.
Costa Rica established tariff rate quotas (TRQs) for high-tariff products in conformance with the Uruguay Round commitments in July 1997. Outside of the TRQs, tariffs on “sensitive” products range as high as 150 percent for some chicken products, and 65 percent for dairy products.  Also, there are TRQs under CAFTA-DR that allow imports of potatoes, onions, dairy products, poultry and rice (both rough and milled) with zero duties.

Under CAFTA, Costa Rica recognized the U.S. meat and poultry inspection service, thus eliminating the previous plant inspection requirement.  All federally inspected U.S. meat and poultry plants are eligible to export to Costa Rica.  Exporters of animal origin products other than those mentioned in the previous sentence are required to register with the Animal Health Service (SENASA) prior to exporting their products. Exports of U.S. consumer-oriented products such as snacks, meats, processed fruits and vegetables, and dairy products, have grown steadily since the approval of CAFTA-DR in 2009.
A list of the major Costa Rican importers of consumer-oriented foods can be obtained by contacting the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) office at U.S. Embassy San Jose.  For more information, please contact the Agriculture Office San Jose (agsanjose@state.gov) or Laura.Calzada@usda.gov.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service publishes an annual Exporter Guide for exporters of food, beverages, and commodities like cotton or wheat. The Exporter Guide provides tips and insights specific to agricultural product exporters and can be found on the Global Agricultural Information Network website. 

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility