Show banana exports build new port for costa rica united states receives eighty per cent of total production prepared by Nat national lonal geographic society washington ashing toa D C W U service bananas are largely responsible for the mil lion hon dollar harbor development project on costa ricas pacific coast about sixty miles south of puntarenas Punt arenas western terminus of the trans costa rican railroad lost last year nearly stems or stalks of bananas were shipped from costa rica alone 80 per cent of the count rys production coming to the united states of the total costa rican export stems were from the pacific region and from limon now the principal port and the carridean Carri bean coast terminus of the costa rica ra railroad u blight and soil exhaustion have caused the abandonment of many of the large banana plantations in the atlantic region and the rapid development of the pacific coast plantations is responsible for the additional harbor development there has been a gradual decline in costa ricas export of bananas last years total of was only a little over half that of 1928 2926 also the importation of cocoa beans into the united states last year was less than half the pounds of 1837 1937 on the other hand the importation por tation of costa rican alcan coffee by the united states has almost doubled in the past three years showing a total for last year of nearly pounds though england still sp is the principal consumer coffee moved from cuba to costa rica and rapidly became tile the principal cipal crop outdistancing within SO 30 years the banana which had been introduced into the new world early in the colonial period bananas long covered a region about twice the area of rhode island in thi the A AJ antic region but cocoa and other products now are supplanting them |