Costa Rican exports increase by 3.5 percent in first quarter

Costa Rica exports of goods during the first quarter of 2013 slightly surpassed $3 billion, which is 3.5 percent more than that recorded for the same period last year, when the figure reached almost $2.9 billion, the Foreign Trade Ministry said on Monday.

Trade Minister Anabel González said in a press release that “the international economic situation is not the best,” and Costa Rica should keep looking for new markets in Latin America and Asia.

“We must take advantage of opportunities in regions and countries where we have established a trade platform, and where growth rates are more robust, such as those in Asia, Perú, Chile and Colombia,” González said.

The report indicates that Intel microprocessors lead the numbers with $776.9 million in export revenue, an increase of 24.8 percent compared to the first quarter of 2012.

North America – primarily the United States – is the main destination of Costa Rican exports with a share of $1.3 billion, followed by the European Union with $583.4 million and Asia with $427.8 million.

In 2012, Costa Rican exports totaled $11.2 billion, an increase of 9 percent compared to the figures recorded in 2011.