|
Costa Rica visit yields trade tips
|
|
Indiana agribusinesses now have firsthand information about market potential in Costa Rica, thanks to a Purdue University delegation that visited the country earlier this summer.
 |
| Deep in the rainforest of Costa Rica , a group of indigenous women formed a cooperative to make and market baking chocolate from cacao beans. (Photo by Jerry Nelson) |
The trip was part of Exploring International Extension and Engagement, a distance education course offered by Purdue's International Extension Program. Prior to the trip, participants paired with Indiana agribusinesses. In Costa Rica, they conducted market research specific to “their” company.
Their post-trip reports are helping Indiana businesses explore marketing opportunities in Costa Rica and become aware of cultural and business aspects. The trip is already starting to pay dividends. “A Knox County melon grower is shipping seedless watermelons to a fruit and vegetable distributor in Costa Rica to test the market,” says Jerry Nelson, co-chair of Purdue Extension's New Ventures Team and a member of the Indiana delegation.
Purdue graduate students, Extension educators, faculty and representatives from agribusiness and agricultural organizations comprised the group. They met with both distributors and producers, and made connections that look promising for exporting Indiana products, as well as importing Costa Rican products for sale here.
The course is part of a partnership between Purdue Extension and the Tropical Agricultural Center for Research and Higher Education (CATIE), in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Tamara Benjamin, a Purdue Agriculture staff member at CATIE, helps match Indiana and Costa Rican businesses. “Having someone like Tamara, who has relationships and contacts with Costa Rican companies and producers, is integral to success,” Nelson says.
|
