Browse Data and Analysis

With a stable democracy, predictable business climate, and economic growth fueled by a resurgent tourism industry, Costa Rica presents excellent export opportunities for U.S. food and beverage exporters in 2023.

FAS/San José anticipates Costa Rican orange production to rise to 305,000 metric tons in marketing year 2022/23, despite challenging growing conditions, as effective citrus greening management and increased density tree patterns drive yields higher.

The members of the Pacific trade bloc Alliance advanced Costa Rica’s bid for full membership, charting a course for Costa Rica to formally join Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile in 2023.

The report summarizes Mozambique’s general food laws, regulatory authorities, major import/export procedures, food and packaging/labeling regulations, registration measures, and other trade facilitation issues. At the end, it provides contact information for major government regulatory agencies and a list of useful local public and private sector contacts for additional technical product-specific information and import assistance.

All the sections of the report have been updated based on website links and contacts, as well as to comply with the updated reporting instructions. The report lists major certificates and permits required to export food and agricultural products from the United States to Mozambique.

Though area planted with genetically engineered crops continued to fall in 2022, expanded operations of another cottonseed producer, opportunities to increase pink pineapple exports, and a new government opposed to ‘red tape’ could reverse this trend in 2023. While neither livestock nor other animal producers in Costa Rica appear interested in animal biotechnology applications at this time, a regulatory structure exists.

Mozambique has not yet approved the use of GE crops. Mozambique planted its first genetically engineered (GE) corn trial in 2017 at the Chókwè Agricultural Station as part of the TELA project (formerly Water Efficient Maize for Africa) aimed to test drought and pest resistance.

U.S. exports of consumer-oriented products rose 34 percent in 2021, climbing to $394 million, due in part to a strong recovery in the tourism sector. There were more than 1.4 million in-bound international travelers through July 2022, slightly off the pre-pandemic pace, but more than double 2021 levels and including nearly 820,000 Americans.

On July 6, the Government of Costa Rica published a draft executive decree that would dramatically reduce tariffs on imported milled and rough rice. The vast majority of U.S. rice exported to Costa Rica in 2021 (valued at $25 million) entered under a duty free quota for rough rice established by the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement.

The Costa Rican retail sector is growing despite lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain disruptions, and rising prices. An increasing number of modern supermarkets stock an expanding range of imported products that reflect global and local retail trends, including clean labels, responsible packaging, and organic products.

This report provides information on the export certification requirements of the Government of Costa Rica. This report supplements FAS?Costa Rica’s 2022 Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) Report.

This report outlines Costa Rica's requirements for food and agricultural product imports. There have been no major changes in Costa Rica's import regulations since the 2021 report.