Q COSTA RICA – Gaining presence in the tables of Costa Rica is imported beef – ‘carne de res’ or simply ‘carne’ in Spanish. And according to the Corporación de Fomento Ganadero (Corfoga), the volume of purchases almost doubled between 2012 and 2016.
Corfoga, established in 2010, indicates that in that year Costa Rica imported 4,731 tons of beef, and last year the figure was 9,406 tons; with the volume of purchases of imported beef going from US$24 million dollars in 2012 to US$50 million dollars in 2016.
The cattle promotion agency says the increase in imports is paralleled by a decrease in the slaughter numbers at the local level. Compared to 2012, the slaughter of cattle fell 17.5% in 2016, in real numbers, 384,230 heads of cattle were slaughtered in 2012, while in 2016 the number dropped to 317,027.
The combination of the two indicators means that imported beef has gained ground, as more Costa Rican households choosing imported beef over national.
This despite the fact the consumption of beef in the country fell some.
In 2012 each person consumed on average 15.7 kilos per year; in 2016 the consumption was 12.4 kilos.
Leonardo Luconi, President of Corfoga, said there is cause for concern, the trend could lead to a sustained decline in the number of cattle in the country. Therefore, the Corfoga and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) are developing a pilot plan to improve productivity.
Source La Nacion
