The blockade of Costa Rica's main roads by strikers is causing millions of losses to exporters in the agricultural sector, whose fresh and frozen products deteriorate after losing the cold chain. According to reports, ships have sailed out of the port of Moin without loading the export cargo, as it didn't reach the port in time due to the roadblocks.
According to Procomer data, the country exports about 500 containers of pineapple a day - the country's main agricultural product- equivalent to 4 million dollars. Exports of other products amount to a similar number, which means the country has been unable to export nearly 1,000 containers a day due to the strike.
Packers could stop working
The president of the Chamber of Exporters of Costa Rica, Laura Bonilla, stated that the situation was very alarming because the blockades began without prior notice, which prevented exporters from taking measures.
"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 weekend there were three boats that could not be worked. We are concerned about perishables and frozen products," she said.
"If there are no empty containers on Monday or Tuesday, we can not pack. This can turn into a big national problem because we would have to stop the packers," he said.
The businesswoman said that she believed that the exporters were the ones losing in this discussion between transporters and the Government.
The agrarian sectors have asked the Government of Carlos Alvarado to take action on the matter. They have also asked the Executive to find a way to provide fuel to the containers that are running out of this input, as many products would thaw or accelerate their process of maturation.
The export sector generates some 680,000 jobs and produces about 34% of the country's GDP. Approximately 76% of the business park corresponds to small and medium enterprises.
An affected activity
These last months have not been positive for agricultural exporters. In April, the export sector had declined by 3.9% compared to the same period of last year, as a result of supply shocks that mainly affected the production of bananas (-27.1%) and pineapples (-10.5%).
According to data from the Central Bank, the last strike organized by the trade unionists in 2018 cost the country a fall in production of 138,000 million.
Source: elobservadorcr.com
