As in the case of Panama, Chinese authorities gave their endorsement for the processing plants Porcina Americana and Carnes Zamora to start selling pork products to the Asian giant starting in January 2020.
Costa Rica’s pig farmers predict a strong impact on employment generation in rural sectors where most pig farms are located, reported the National Animal Health Service (Senasa).
Bernardo JaĂ©n, director general of Senasa, explained that “… The People’s Government of China officially opened its market to the import of Costa Rican pork to its country, after the approval was issued by the Bureau of Food Import and Export Security of the General Administration of Customs of China.”
The statement adds that “… This result is the product of a negotiation process that began in 2013 with the signing of the protocol on veterinary and sanitary requirements. In 2016, the authorities of China audited possible exporting establishments after an inter-institutional work between Senasa, the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock and Foreign Trade (Comex) in conjunction with the Promoter of Foreign Trade (Procomer).”
So far this year, the Costa Rica has exported more than 7 million kilos of beef to China and forecasts that in 2020 will be able to sell a thousand tons of pork.