By Wendy Anders

Spain is now Costa Rica’s entryway to Europe’s markets with the opening of new commercial headquarters inside the Costa Rican Embassy in Madrid, announced Procomer, Costa Rica’s foreign trade promotion agency, last week.

Over the past five years, exports from Costa Rica to Spain have grown 120 percent, with 144 Costa Rican companies exporting 340 products to Spain last year, said Procomer.

For the Minister of Foreign Trade and President of the Board of Directors of PROCOMER, Alexander Mora, Spain is a strategic gateway to Europe. “Due to our cultural and linguistic affinity, Spain is a great market for Costa Rican products. We have a free trade agreement that gives us competitive advantages. We seek to maintain and strengthen the positive image that positions us in Europe and at the same time continue with efforts to diversify markets,” said Mora.

This commercial office will seek to identify Spanish buyers for Costa Rican goods and services, coordinate trade missions, business agendas and participation in fairs, said Procomer in a press statement.

Costa Rica’s 2015 exports to Spain were valued at US$126 million, and Spain is a good market for Costa Rican fruits and vegetables, as well as other food items, said Procomer.

Costa Rica is Spain’s main supplier of pineapple and banana, and Spain can facilitate Costa Rica’s access to other European markets such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom due to lower transport costs between Latin America and Spain, said Procomer.

Exports to Spain last year included pineapple (44.5 percent of total exports to Spain), banana (18.2 percent), fruit juices and concentrates (17.3 percent), cassava and coffee beans.