Fifty Companies Export 60% of Country’s Total

FIFTY companies account for 60% of the country’s export total, while the remaining 40% is in the hands of 1,728 businesses, according to the weekly El Financiero.The 50 companies exported almost $3 billion during the first eight months of 2005, while their total sales amounted to more than $4 billion, El Financiero reported. Intel Components Costa Rica, the national representative of the worldwide Intel high-tech corporation, heads the list of the country’s leading exporters, followed by Abbott Hospitals of Costa Rica, dedicated to assembling hospital equipment.The third company is Baxter, which also produces medical equipment, followed by pineapple exporter Del Monte Agricultural Development Corporation. Although the export sector is the most dynamic in Costa Rica’s economy, it remains a target of criticism for those who consider that its contribution to the country’s development is insufficient, El Financiero reported.The Foreign Trade Ministry (COMEX) has projected exports of $7 billion this year.