Tropical fruits and coffee are two of the products with opportunities in a market with great potential for growth, but challenging at the same time for Central American entrepreneurs.

Former Costa Rican ambassador to China, Marco Vinicio Ruiz, shared his experience with a group of Panamanian entrepreneurs in a forum organized by the National Council of Private Enterprise.

“… The challenge is not just to put the product on Chinese soil, but to have someone to receive it: ‘Despite the treaty, I do not feel there is a lot of transparency in Chinese customs offices. It depends a lot on which customs office the product enters through. A lot of the time it is important to have an importer who knows the ins and outs, and who can be trusted.”

See also: “Goodbye Taiwan, Hello China”

Prensa.com reports that “…In such a large market there are importers and distributors.  Forget about selling straight to a supermarket.” Furthermore, ” …’Chinese people are very bureaucratic. In the public sector, a number of requirements have to be fulfilled, something that can be slow, even overwhelming’, says Ruiz”.

“… The paperwork and processes for sending a product to China are complex. No matter how much a factory complies with international regulations, the Chinese authorities will send their inspectors in to evaluate it before making any decision.”