Navigating the CR Add-guano system of duties

[bstckmn]

I am extremely pleased with my mail/freight forwarding services from Aerocasillas, but it is sometimes hard to get a direct answer about what CR aduana regulations will allow for import and at what duty rate for particular items that are not ordinary. Specifically, I want to order some high quality bread flour from the U.S. or from Italy. Can I do this? Similarly, I want to order some special salvia plant seeds that hummingbirds are said to adore, but I do not know if they will be allowed. I am somewhat cowed so to speak by that ominous line on the CR customs declaration form when flying in that asks about recent consorting with livestock or if I may have fresh meat in my possession other than my person. Does anyone know the answer to my bread flour or salvia question, or more generally how to figure out what can clear customs? I will offer a reward of a whole package of hummingbird salvia seeds to the first person who can answer my question IF I can get them into CR.
P.S. Does anyone know if those Colombian submarines carrying drogas north that you read about in the press ever bring things back as ballast? Cases of Coors? Washington State apples?

[maravilla]

that will be the most expensive loaf of bread you ever baked. by the time you pay normal shipping to florida from italy, then pay Aerocasillas and the customs duties, you will not be able to afford to part with the flour to bake bread!!! Koenig has very good bread flour here. i wouldn’t spend the money it’s going to cost to order if from abroad. as for the seeds — hmmmmmm, have them sent direclty to your PO box.

[bstckmn]

Thanks Maravilla. I don´t know Koenig products. Where can I get them? Alas, in retirement I have these obsessions for things like Italian 00 semolina flour for the perfect Neopolitan pizza that do not stand the test of cost/benefit analysis except perhaps for the RT ticket price from SJO to Naples. I will try the Koenig flour if I can find it. With respect to the seeds, you raise a technical question that will keep Aerocasillas management up late at night. A package of salvia seeds could fit into a standard 1 ounce letter so I could send through Aerocasillas with nary a look from CR aduana officials. If I send as a parcel, then it must go through customs and that is where I don´t know the result.On a technicality (you are the first responder)you may qualify for the seed package reward. Thanks for your interest. DC Bob

[quote=”maravilla”]that will be the most expensive loaf of bread you ever baked. by the time you pay normal shipping to florida from italy, then pay Aerocasillas and the customs duties, you will not be able to afford to part with the flour to bake bread!!! Koenig has very good bread flour here. i wouldn’t spend the money it’s going to cost to order if from abroad. as for the seeds — hmmmmmm, have them sent direclty to your PO box.[/quote]

[maravilla]

i totally understand the food obsession! Koenig flours are available in macrobioticas, and i think they also have a webpage from which you could probably order products. If not try Belca Foods — they are like Sisco in the states. as for the salvia seeds, a bubble envelope would work. i’ve sent as many as ten packets of seeds to a friend of mine here and customs never opened anything and it had a custom’s dec on it saying it was lettuce seeds.

[bstckmn]

Thanks again Maravilla. I will try the Koenig bread flour. I will also order the salvia seeds and reserve a package for you as the reward winner. I will check with Scott Oliver about how to get them to you. For the WLCR forum members who are friends of hummingbirds in CR here is one link to a salvia seed supplier:
http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/annuals/salvia.html
DC Bob

[quote=”maravilla”]i totally understand the food obsession! Koenig flours are available in macrobioticas, and i think they also have a webpage from which you could probably order products. If not try Belca Foods — they are like Sisco in the states. as for the salvia seeds, a bubble envelope would work. i’ve sent as many as ten packets of seeds to a friend of mine here and customs never opened anything and it had a custom’s dec on it saying it was lettuce seeds.[/quote]

[costaricafinca]

I have many varieties of hummingbird seeds avaiable, including many varieties of Salvias and although they are used extensively in North America they are not the plants of choice here.
BTW the annual salvia available here, are not hummer favorites. We get twelve varieties of hummingbirds throughout the year.
Other plants, native to Costa Rica are what the hummers prefer, Stachytarpheta frantzii, Portersweed or locally called ‘Rabo/cola de gato’ being #1
If you can, purchase a book by Michael & Patricia Fogden, “Hummingbirds of Costa Rica” and look at the plants used by the hummers.
My first Ruby-throat migrant arrived yesterday!:D

[sprite]

I am a licensed US Customs broker and I dread having to deal with importations into the US of any agricultural products. The FDA is a fierce, convoluted and complicated bureaucracy and they work with Customs. I have no idea how things work in CR but, of course, the best thing to do is to contact an agente aduanal in Costa Rica. They will have the answer as to whether or not the import is permitted and what the cost would be.

[rf2cr]

Re your seeds –
Get someone to buy a magazine and send it to you, slip seed packets between the pages. Never had an envlope of magazines checked, they come straight to our mail box. Strictly legal???

[bstckmn]

Thanks. I like the sound of cola de gato. Where do you buy seeds locally? I have seen a seed store in Escazu Centro a block east of the iglesia, but can´t seem to find what I want.

[quote=”costaricafinca”]I have many varieties of hummingbird seeds avaiable, including many varieties of Salvias and although they are used extensively in North America they are not the plants of choice here.
BTW the annual salvia available here, are not hummer favorites. We get twelve varieties of hummingbirds throughout the year.
Other plants, native to Costa Rica are what the hummers prefer, Stachytarpheta frantzii, Portersweed or locally called ‘Rabo/cola de gato’ being #1
If you can, purchase a book by Michael & Patricia Fogden, “Hummingbirds of Costa Rica” and look at the plants used by the hummers.
My first Ruby-throat migrant arrived yesterday!:D[/quote]

[guru]

[quote=”costaricafinca”]
My first Ruby-throat migrant arrived yesterday!:D[/quote]

This summer we had hummers by the dozen here in North Carolina and were sad to see them leave about a month ago. . . Glad they made it! 🙂

We are not sure what native plants they prefer here. I suspect flowering trees. Supposedly they like trumpet flowers but they are too sparse to keep all the hummers fed. We have butterfly bush which the hummers like.

[costaricafinca]

[b]bstckmn[/b], You cannot purchase seeds for the [i]Cola de gato, here.[/i] [i]Very limited selection of seeds[/i] are available.
If you PM me I will send you some from my plants.

[rf2cr]

Porter weed (cola del gato) takes very,very easily from cuttings. Find a plant, stick the cuttings and then watch out, they will take over.

[costaricafinca]

I have found the Stachytarpheta frantzii does not ‘throw’ seeds and then sprout up everywhere.
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis grows wild, and does indeed produce ‘free plants’ as seen in many pastures in Guanacaste.
The pink flowered species, S. mutabilis, also drops more seed than S. frantzii.
But both S frantzii and S. mutabilis get large and full … if you’re lucky!
And yes, they are very easy to grow from cuttings, [i]if[/i][b][/b] you have some plants available. But, like me, many gardeners like to grow from seed.

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