The Minister of Agricultural Development, Jorge Arango, confirmed yesterday during the transition meeting he held with Enrique Carles, who will occupy this position effective July 1, that twenty-two thousand quintals of onions from the United States will arrive in Panama next week.
Carles, who is currently the director of the Institute of Agricultural Marketing (IMA), said the country always had a shortage of onions during this time.
He said that there was a decline of the product because of factors in the Netherlands and Chile, the countries that usually supply Panama during the season when there is no onion harvest.
He clarified that the IMA has maintained a resolution banning the import of onions for 20 months to protect domestic producers; however, he said, the Cold Chain should comply with its role as an importer and exporter.
The math didn't add up
Yori Morales, the president of the Food Marketers Society of the Market Hall, located in Curundu, said there was an alarming shortage of onion and that they had warned the IMA of this demand since February, but that they had made their own inventory.
Morales said producers thought they would have enough onions, but that they had a shortage of products because of climate change.
"We found out that there were only 11,000 sacks of onions to supply the domestic market 15 days ago, when the potato and onion agricultural food chain met," said Morales, who added that they required 45,000 sacks per month to supply the country.
Morales said producers had proposed increasing the price of onions from 60 to 80 cents because the imported product was very expensive and it wasn't profitable to sell them at that price. However, this was not feasible.
"We feel concerned and now we are waiting for the entry of three containers with 13,000 sacks of onions," Morales stated.
Source: elsiglo.com