Once sustained by an economy dominated by
agriculture, Costa Rica began promoting exports in the early 1980s. Today
it is a real player in the international marketplace and recently has
attracted the high technology sector. As a result, many world class companies
have established here including Dole, Firestone, Baxter, Intel, Procter
and Gamble, Western Union, Hewlett Packard, and Sykes.
Before the economic restructuring process
started in the early 1980s, the Costa Rican economy depended primarily
on a few exports including: bananas, coffee, sugar and meat, which now
represent only 12.5% of total exports.
Coffee was historically the country's most
important crop, and Costa Rica continues to produce some of the finest
quality coffee in the world. Bananas continue to be one of the most important
produce exported that is grown on vast plantations in the Caribbean lowlands.
Tourism has generated more than any single
export crop. Approximately generating US$1.5 billion a year, tourism continues
to grow and provides new employment opportunities while stimulating the
conservation of Costa Rica’s complex biodiversity. Today, Costa Rica has
a stable economy built around tourism, agriculture, and the manufacturing
sector (textiles, paper, electric/electronic, metal-mechanics, plastic,
food).
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