The president of Panama's Chamber of Maritime Transport, Rommel Troetsch, said the agricultural sector had not taken advantage of the maritime sector.
According to the specialist, Panama lacks a comprehensive state plan that identifies competitive products and exportable varieties, and that stimulates the local banks and producers' interest.
"Panama sees all of Latin America's agricultural and industrial exports that are bound for the United States, Europe, and Asia pass by, but the country produces less and less products for export," said the expert.
According to the Office of the Comptroller General the value of export goods fell by 14% in the first quarter of 2016, as there was a low export of different products, such as bananas, which decreased by 3.7%; melons, -21.5%, pineapple, and seafood, which decreased by 40.8% and 15.7%, respectively.
Troetsch also stressed the need for Panamanian exporters to locate brokers to facilitate exports through marketing chains.
He also said Panama sold the ships a lot of supplies, food, fuels, and lubricants, and that they had a pending debt to build warehouses with the auxiliary maritime services dock.
He stated that, taking advantage of the Panama Canal expansion project, the country should expand the maritime cluster to underpin the development of the logistics industry in Panama.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Agricultural Development, Jorge Arango, has raised the possibility of establishing Panama as a food logistics hub .
Source: panamaamerica.com.pa