Panama bets on European markets

Panama will also be present at Macfrut. The partnership established with Cesena Fiera has resulted in the presence of a number of delegations from Central and South America, including one from Panama. "In our country," says Damaris Pianetta of Propanama, "our farms produce different types of fruit and vegetables, including pineapple, pitahaya, passion fruit, papaya, seedless watermelon, lemon, otoe, cassava, butternut, pumpkin, ginger and bananas."

Propanama develops and implements strategies for the attraction of capital investment and the promotion of exports, which contribute to the economic and social progress of the country. "Together with the institutions of the Board, the organized private sector and the foreign services department, we coordinate the promotion of diverse products and services on the international market, and the attraction of sustainable investments with social impact, which generate know-how and technology and contribute to improving the quality of life of the Panamanians."

Regarding overseas sales, Pianetta says: "Exports are growing and the most popular references include pineapple, papaya, watermelon, pumpkin, cassava and passion fruit. The main destination markets are Spain and the Netherlands in Europe, and the United States and Canada in the Americas."

At the moment, Propanama provides assistance to 45 companies in the agricultural sector, but the most active and important ones are about twenty of them.

In terms of logistics, Panamanian fruit and vegetables have some problems. "We mainly suffer from the lack of scheduled routes from Panama when transporting by sea, which limits the delivery of cargo within an efficient timeframe."

"At Macfrut, the Panamanian companies exhibiting want to introduce our products to different sectors, such as supermarkets and retailers, and above all they want to offer the European market the best quality products made in Panama," concludes Pianetta.