New PROCOMER-CATIE Alliance to Promote Sustainable Projects in Bananas and Alternative Crops

• According to PROCOMER, bananas are among the fastest-growing export products in Costa Rica.

CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), together with the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (PROCOMER), has strengthened ties to explore opportunities for cooperation between the institutions to enhance the improvement of crops related to bananas, particularly plantains, for sustainable agricultural development.

This cooperation aims to combine efforts in research, training, production, and marketing projects both locally and internationally, mainly focusing on plantains. These actions will benefit entrepreneurship and rural development, promoting the creation of sustainable and low-impact alternatives for the planet.

These were some of the agreements reached during the meeting with Dr. Luis Pocasangre, Director General of CATIE, and the PROCOMER representatives, including Juan Gabriel Ramírez from the Agricultural Diversification Program; and Ariana Quirós and Paola Montoya from the Plantain Program. They also highlighted support for other emerging crops in the region, such as cassava, taro, and sweet potato.

Bananas represent 6% of Costa Rica's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and significantly contributed to the 8% growth in the agricultural sector in 2024, according to PROCOMER.