How come food in Costa Rica is so expensive?

by Jackie @puravida guide

Sorry, but I don´t buy into this so called “Food Sovereignty”  President Luis Guillermo Solis ideology states.  He is considered a strong devotee of economic nationalism which believes Costa Rica has to produce what it consumes, no matter how expensive it is…..really?  Then how come many Costa Rican exported produce is cheaper to buy in neighboring countries?  The Governments justification, so they say, of the rising costs of social security, taxes, electricity and bureaucratic disorder have all but contributed to the expense of food in our supermarkets, but fail to recognize one vital fact, other South American countries have the same production costs as ours, yet still manage to feed their own on a much cheaper budget.

No my friends, this is not the true reason and well we know it!  Giants like Dos Pinos  and Pipasa are protected by high tariff barriers that shield them from foreign competition, for example, tax on imported milk is 65% and in most parts, chicken can reach as much as 150% import tax.  So by not having to compete with an open market, these Costa Rican companies can jack up their prices and squeeze every last cent from the Tico consumer.  Panama and Honduras on the other hand, gain by the profits made here, which allows for the likes of Dos Pinos to export with competitive prices.

It´s all well and good that the middle and wealthy classes can defend this concept of “Food Sovereignty”, but what about the low-income families?  Have they no right to afford fresh produce from their own country to fill their larder?  Some 20% of the poorest carry this heavy burden of agricultural and commercial protectionism, although one suspects there are far more struggling to meet the high costs of feeding themselves on their take-home pay?

As Napoleon Bonaparte once famously stated, “An army marches on its stomach” or to put it another way, you have to water a seed to make it grow and Costa Rica deserves far better, doesn´t it?   Health and Education are high on the agenda for the success in any country, but please, feeding and nourishing your nation must take precedence above all others.  Make basic, wholesome food cheaper to buy and do whatever you like with the convenient fast food, fizzy drinks and sugary snacks.  Tax them to the hilt Mr. Solis if you so chose, but allow more competitors into Costa Rica to lower the fresh food prices and make them more affordable, after all, it is or “should be”, every humans right to be adequately fed and watered…..or have I missed something here?

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