LatinNews Daily - 12 November 2025

*Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in Costa Rica’s capital, San José, calling for the government led by President Rodrigo Chaves to change public policies targeting the agricultural sector and denouncing institutional neglect. The protest was called by agriculture lobby group Grupo de Liderazgo del Sector Agropecuario, which comprises various organisations including Corporación Hortícola Nacional (CHN), Unión Nacional de Productores Agropecuarios Costarricenses (Unag), Unión de Pequeños Productores Agropecuarios (UPA Nacional), and Unión de Productores Independientes y Actividades Varias (Upiav), on local press reports. The protests were also supported by other sectors such as teachers’ unions, including Sindicato de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores de la Educación Costarricense. Agriculture lobbies have long accused the Chaves government, which took office in May 2022, of neglecting the sector, in its drive to boost growth through liberalising trade. For instance, in December 2024, the Pacific Alliance trade bloc, comprising Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, approved Costa Rica’s membership of the bloc. In November 2024 the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), an Asia-Pacific trade bloc, agreed to the beginning of an accession process for Costa Rica. According to a report published last month by the public Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), the area under cultivation in the country dropped by between 10%-27% between 2021 and 2024, citing various sources. According to the same report, the agriculture sector accounts for just 3.3% of GDP in 2025, down from 4.7% in 2015. The report also highlights that the budget for the agriculture ministry barely represents 0.49% of central government expenditure, practically the same as a decade ago.

End of preview - This article contains approximately 266 words.

Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article

Not a Subscriber?

Choose from one of the following options

• Subscribe
• Sign up for a one-time, 14-day trial