Costa Rica: The Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade (MEIC) has explained the changes that will be implemented in technical regulations to the market cement, including forced single day sales of bulk cement and the elimination of the 45 day limit of validity for bagged cement.

Welmar Ramos, MEIC minister said that the purpose of the changes is to make product imports more flexible. "These changes allow greater competition in the market and inure the efficiency of the cement industry for the benefit of the final consumer," said Ramos. A period of three months will be given for producers to adjust their labels. The new rules state that each manufacturer must put the expiration date on the package, which is obliged to check through technical studies. The policy of forcing the sales of bulk cement on the same day of its production has been eliminated. According to the MEIC, this will enable the import of bulk cement.

Holcim and Cemex have warned of an alleged loss of cement quality when stored beyond 45 days, which were established in earlier rules. The Association of Engineers and Architects (CFIA) has also issued warnings about it. However, the MEIC and supporters of the initiative said that different types of packaging, which is already used in Costa Rica, allows older cement to have greater effect.

According to the MEIC, standards and technical regulations consulted in countries like Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, United States, European Union and Central America, only indicate the date of packaging and storage conditions that must be followed.