Agricultural Counselor Katherine Nishiura delivers citrus budwood to Del Oro Manager Randy Fleming (center) and Costa Rican Ministry of Production's Director of Plant Health Luis Echevarria

Costa Rican Citrus Growers Receive “Small Treasure” Courtesy of USDA

August 16, 2007: Coordinated by APHIS and FAS offices at U.S. Embassy San Jose, the USDA Germplasm Bank at the University of California Riverside donated 400 pieces of citrus budwood from 66 different varieties of citrus, which will allow the establishment of the first and unique germplasm bank of citrus materials in Costa Rica. This bank will be a repository of pest-free budwood, which could be tapped by U.S. growers in the event of a new infestation in the United States, and is one of few locations around the world entrusted with the safekeeping of this valuable stock.

The donation took place in La Cruz, Guanacaste, with representatives from the Costa Rican Production Ministry on hand to receive the donation from Katherine Nishiura, Embassy San Jose’s Agricultural Counselor. With an investment of nearly $200,000, British-owned Del Oro Company (primary market is U.S.) and Costa Rican owned Tico Fruit built six greenhouses to shelter the budwood, and will reproduce and eventually graft the new varieties onto existing Costa Rican stock, to further diversify the Costa Rican citrus sector. All producers will have access to the stock through the Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture.

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