(Newsroom Panama) Panama’s agricultural industry is in danger as new policies send supermarkets to the internet to order supplies from abroad.
In the past five years farmers have given up growing on 35 000 hectares of land. Some crops such as corn, beans and coffee yields have fallen by 40%, and imports have increased by more than 25%.
What was supposed to be one of the most important steps to stop the distortions in the prices of basic food basket has proved an obstacle course says La Prensa.
Supermarkets owners and importers are participating in agri-food chains created this year to set policies on imports and better farming techniques.
Instead, supermarkets have only to go to the internet and open the doors for imports.The issue is of vital importance to the country’s food security. With the current standard traders only have to fill a form n the Internet and open the door to imports.
According to farmers, the practice is destroying the sector, as imports increase and the amount of land sown dramatically decreases.
A committee has been established in the food chain for potatos and onions, importers and distributors have jointly participated in the meetings.
Hernan Cortez, the Agricultural Producers Association of Chiriqui estimates that “these meetings are a waste of time, especially when agricultural authorities do not follow through on the recommendations made there,” said Cortez .
José Alfonso Gago, vice president of the Association of Merchants and Distributors said that the lack of coordination has caused traders to avoid the meetings.