Flower export company relocates to Guatemala

Costa Rican flower company Flores de Exportación (Florexpo) announced in a public statement that it will move its operations to Guatemala in March 2016. The company will be dismissing all of its 400 employees in the coming months.

Company manager Fernando Altmann Weston said that complications with Costa Rican agencies regarding legal requirements and local regulations made the company’s owners decide to leave.

“It’s not just a cost issue,” Altmann said, adding praise for Costa Rica’s workforce. “It is a matter of excessive red tape and frequent delays by government agencies responsible for issuing permits.”

He said permits are quicker to get and valid for longer time periods in Guatemala.

The Costa Rican Chamber of Exporters (CADEXCO) lamented Florexpo’s decision in a public statement, confirming company exec’s problems with red tape.

The Cartago-based company will deliver its last shipment of unrooted cuttings from Costa Rica on April 1, 2016, which Altmann hopes will give employees enough time to find new jobs.