AID grant to Coalicion Costarricense de Iniciativas de Desarrollo for a program in non-traditional agricultural export technical support

The project will finance a limited amount of short-term TA to help CAAP to conduct studies and assessments analyzing and resolving policy problems (e.g., the accession by Costa Rica to GATT, the need to restructure export incentives) and to make related policy recommendations. To assist in the production and marketing of select NTAE crops being promoted by CAAP (e.g., strawberries, flowers, ornamental plants), the project will provide TA for production (quality assurance during growing and harvesting), marketing (grading, packing, etc.), and the design and dissemination of an investment package. Activities will be closely coordinated with the PROEXAG project. No support will be provided for crops deemed in direct competition with U.S. exports. The project will also provide short-term TA directly to NTAE producers and exporters in such areas as cultural practices, pest and disease control, soil and water management, use of market information, export procedures, and the marketing of products that do not meet fresh export grades. Two long-term advisors, one in program management for CAAP and one in cacao production, will coordinate project efforts in these areas, and some 12 person-months of in-country training will be provided. The project will also finance special studies to identify opportunities for NTAE"s not covered by other project components, e.g., studies of commodity reporting for major export crops, studies of the business climate, etc. Studies to determine which crops to support under the production/marketing component will also be financed under this component. Finally, the project will partially support the foreign exchange costs of CAAP/CINDE investment and trade promotion activities.