Costa Rican Producers Faced Oversupply and Falling Prices in W50

Costa Rican papaya producers face concerns as domestic prices remain consistently low. During W50, prices plummeted to approximately USD 0.22 and USD 0.24 per kilogram (kg), failing to cover production costs. This trend follows the post-COVID surge in papaya prices in 2021, which reached an exceptionally high USD 2.22/kg, prompting existing and new producers to expand cultivation. However, in 2023, this expanded production has resulted in an oversupply in the local market. Concurrently, challenges in exporting regular volumes, due to climatic and fungal disease issues, have led to a surplus of un-exported production.