The improvements made to the infrastructure and equipment of the Food Processing and Marketing Center (CEPROMA) in Río Grande de Paquera, by the Rural Development Institute (Inder), allowed a group of local guava producers to initiate the procedures and necessary permits for exporting this delicious fruit that is produced in the Nicoya Peninsula.
The administration of CEPROMA of Río Grande is in charge of the Cooperativa de Productores de Guayaba Taiwanesa (Coopeproguata RL), which is made up of 40 families, who use the infrastructure, owned by Inder, as a collection and processing center for the fruit that then it is distributed in the national market.
Thanks to the improvements made, the productive potential, processing, packaging will be increased and, in addition, the organization began the processes for export, such as an inspection of the plant by representatives of the State Phytosanitary Service.
This fruit marketing center is of utmost importance for the reactivation and economic stability of the families of Río Grande, since it allows them to improve the commercialization and addition of value to fresh fruit.
This past week, the formal delivery of the improvements was made, during the visit of the executive president of Inder, Harys Regidor Barboza, who was accompanied by the vice president of the Republic, Marvin Rodríguez and the presidential officer for the Central Pacific, Juan Ramón Rivera , executive president of Incop.
Karla Mena Matarrita, general manager of Coopeproguata RL, stated that “our cooperative is very grateful for all the support that Inder has provided to the organization, from the provision of equipment and tools, as well as the opportunity to use CEPROMA, and even more so with the improvements according to the activity we carry out. All this support has allowed us to offer our associates and our clients a better service and a better product, which results in general growth for the cooperative.”
Vice President Rodríguez indicated that this effort by INDER in coordination with Coopeproguata R.L. It enhances the work of the producers of the Rio Grande community, at the same time that it strengthens the cooperative sector as a vehicle to promote the development and reactivation of the territories. We rightly believe that this is the correct route in the generation and protection of employment.
Rural economic development
“The improvements to this CEPROMA are part of the 82 public investment projects prioritized by Inder in the country this year and which is part of ‘The Route to Rural Development‘, our strategy to support the economic reactivation of rural territories and the results are already beginning to be seen, with the possibility that this organization and its associates can export guava to markets such as Panama and Central America”, said the executive president of Inder, Harys Regidor Barboza.
The CEPROMA improvements, which required an investment from Inder of ₡ 59.9 million, included equipment maintenance, placement of plastic curtains and foot baths to guarantee health and safety; The stairs were changed, an elevator was placed, a ramp was built for the platform in order to improve the guava processing line from the moment it arrives at the plant, its washing, cleaning and packaging for the transfer, among other works.
In Costa Rica, Inder built 19 CEPROMAs, which are administered by local organizations and were born from the National Food Plan, as business units in rural territories. It is a strategy for small producers to be motivated to plant basic grains, give them added value, have availability and security for their families, with the option of selling the surpluses. Likewise, it seeks to facilitate commercialization processes, generate employment, boost the local economy and improve the quality of life of the communities.
