| Among the different institutions through which the Costa Rican government influences production and internal marketing of agricultural commodities, the Consejo Nacional de Produccion (CNP) is the most important one. The Consejo is given by law a great deal of authority in fomenting production and stabilizing prices of food products. It is also entitled to perform a wide range of activities and marketing functions affecting the food system (buying and selling, assembling, transporting, storing and processing, importing and exporting, price fixing, input distribution, etc.). Because of the strategic role of agriculture in the country, and due to very significant influence of the Consejo's intervention upon production, marketing and consumption in... |
