SAN JOSE - China has given the green light to imports of Costa Rican meat, Agriculture Minister Gloria Abraham said Sunday.

Speaking at an agribusiness expo in northern Costa Rica, Abraham said three meat processing plants that met the requirements of China and secured certification now have gained entry into the Chinese market.

The minister said she was pleased by the "positive effect" that the entry into the Chinese market would have on the country's meat producing sector, which is just beginning to emerge from a crisis caused by several years of depressed prices.

"Cattle ranching has before it a new horizon full of opportunities," she said.

She urged both private and public sector players in the meat industry to seize the new opportunities, and "reflect on the causes of the crisis and jointly decide the steps that as a country we must take."

Costa Rica and China signed a free trade agreement in 2010, paving the way for removing most tariffs on exports of Costa Rican coffee, meat, juice and other products to the huge market.

China is the central American country's second biggest commercial partner, while Costa Rica is the Asian nation's ninth largest trading partner in Latin America.