Costa Rican flora on display at world fair in Germany

A group of 11 Costa Rican companies from the export sector of plants, flowers and foliage this week are displaying their products at the International Trade Fair for Plants (IPM) in Essen, Germany.

The event, which brings together over 1,500 exhibitors, runs through Friday and attracts visitors from over 100 countries.

“Participating in this fair gives us the chance to identify new customers and keep in contact with current ones. It also helps us learn about new trends, changes and new developments in the market,” said Folkert Hoekstra, president of the exporting group.

Tico companies at the event mostly will promote exotic plants including aglaonema, dracaena, palms, cycads, crotos, ficus and others.

The exhibit is being presented at a stand with the concept “exotic by nature,” and follows the guidelines of the country brand “Essential Costa Rica.”

“We are focusing on showing exotic varieties of plants from our country,” said Álvaro Piedra, trade promotional manager at Costa Rica’s Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER).

Piedra said IPM-Essen attendance is part of a promotional strategy for the export sector with the goal of boosting the country’s small- and medium-sized businesses abroad.

PROCOMER at the fair is assisting participant companies in marketing strategies to implement their positioning, analyze the competition, close deals and begin exporting.

“Our country owns 5 percent of the world’s biodiversity, we have exotic and high quality products, therefore attending events like this is a great opportunity for us to show the world our products,” Piedra said.

Exports from the agricultural sector totaled $2.5 billion last year. That is a 2.6 percent increase over the $2.4 billion registered in 2013.