Pineapple exporters claim to have lost $2.3 million since the authorities started making additional inspections of containers at ports of departure.

Arguing that in April an increased presence of insects was detected in containers of pineapples exported to the United States, the State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) has tightened control measures, which are no longer limited to inspections on farms and packing plants, but also include an extra inspection at ports of departure.

“… Abel Chaves, president of the National Chamber of Producers and Exporters of Pineapples (Canapep), warned that there is not the capacity in the yards to attend to 2,000 containers per week. That, he added, is delaying departure of the fruit and some of it is not arriving in time to go out on the boats.”

The Minister of the MAG, Luis Felipe Arauz, told Nacion.com that “… the measure is hard, but it is being applied because of a strong increase, detected in April, of pest interceptions on entry into the United States. Interceptions of pineapple in the United States because of the presence of insects, occurred in 98 cases between January and April 2015, compared to the 129 cases in the same period this year, acknowledged Canapep. But Chaves said that only 10 cases were returned to Costa Rica and that this increase did not cause concerns in the US, as others have said.”