Storm damage threatening Costa Rica fruit exports

Storm damage threatening Costa Rica fruit exports    Crop and infrastructure damage from a series of storm that have hit Costa Rico could threaten exports of bananas and other fruits.
   June storms accompanied by high winds impacted many banana plantations, including an estimated 90 percent of the plantations in the island province of Montecristi. Perhaps more important to U.S. importers is the damages to roads and bridges from storm last week in the provinces of Lim'n and Alajuela.
   Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias declared an emergency that will speed up both disaster relief allocations and the process for awarding contracts for reconstruction efforts, according to a report in the San Jose, Costa Rica newspaper the Tico Times.
   A report from the U.K.-based produce industry trade publication Freshinfo noted that five major roadways and more than 40 bridges had been damaged by flooding, threatening the movement of fruits that have been harvested.
   The Freshinfo report said banana producers estimate they have lost 38,000 boxes thus far, and will need seven months to recover productivity to normal levels.