Roadblocks in Costa Rica have been taken down and produce is once again moving across the country. Truckers from the Unión de Transportistas de Carga de Costa Rica (Cargo Shippers Union of Costa Rica) had initiated the strike last week Thursday because of a new Value-Added Tax that came into effect on July 1. As a result, the country’s main highways were effectively shut down. It’s understood that the Costa Rican Government has agreed to sit down with the Union and discuss the terms of the new tax. In return, truckers have removed the blockades for now.
The strike had an impact on produce as goods were prevented from being shipped to ports in a timely manner. However, according to Wes Liefer of Pura Vida Farms in Los Angeles, pineapple supplies to LA were not noticeably affected. “The strikes did not really have an impact on our shipments,” he said. “It is believed the nature of the strikes mainly concerned political matters, with the main result being an inconvenience as the roads were practically shut down. From what we understand, none of the farms or the ports themselves were closed.”
Mainly East Coast shipments affected
Importers say the strikes mainly affected Port Limon on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. Bananas, pineapples and other major Costa Rican exports are shipped out from Limon to markets including the US East Coast, Texas and Europe. Because many exports to California from Costa Rica originate from the West Coast of the country, this may have been a reason why pineapples to the US West Coast remained relatively unaffected.
“One of our growers did send us a load of pineapples through the port of Caldera, as they were unable to get any of their loads to Port Limon,” Liefer explained. “Overall, the main issues were concerning the roads, resulting in cars and trucks being unable to move around the country.”
“No warning”
One of the more damaging aspects of the strikes was the fact that there was no warning. The blockades went up overnight, leaving little time to plan. As Laura Bonilla, the President of the Chamber of Exporters of Costa Rica, said during the strike, "They are affecting us greatly. The weekends are when the larger boats are loaded and unloaded and the moment when there is more traffic to Limon. This past weekend there were three boats that could not be loaded. We are concerned about perishables and frozen products.”
Although the strike is now officially over, industry experts are quick to point out that things can change any time. “At the moment, it looks like things are back to normal and the roads are opened once again,” Liefer said. “However, we know that these issues can flare up again at any time.”
For more information:
Wes Liefer
Pura Vida Farms
Ph: +1 (714) 671-1501
wliefer@pvfarms.com
www.pvfarms.com