Background

Costa Rica has over 2.5 million hectares of arable land located across the region. Government along with private farms have been actively looking to integrate new technology and innovations in order to increase sustainable and organic yields and reduce fertilizer costs.

Aproveco Group located in Limon, Costa Rica is one of the largest banana producers in the Eastern part of Costa Rica. Aproveco Group is a consortium of farms that occupies an extension of over 5000 hectares distributed into various sites with a total annual production of over 10 million boxes of bananas.

The main challenge for the banana industry is the reduction of agrochemicals. In particular, chemical pesticides that exert a negative impact to the environment. Some chemicals used in the banana plantations have been already prohibited by regulatory entities.

General Objective

The general objective of the study was to determine if Agrarius had any effects on bananas, as well as see if there was an opportunity to also produce an increase in productivity and plant health during the complete crop cycle.

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Agrarius provided the seeds with better protection, a vigorous rooting system, better overall growth and yield increases, as well as faster / more productive crop cycles.

Agrarius had positively effected the treated crops providing greater yields, a reduction in crop cycle times, as well as healthier bananas. Agrarius had helped with every stage of the group cycle from seed to harvest. Agrarius was also able to reduce the post transplanting stress, hydric stress, and the impact of highest temperatures during heat waves when the banana seedlings were transplanted into the fields.

Case Study Summary