Panamanian fruit exports have been affected by the closure of borders, the cessation of the hospitality activity, and the fall in consumption in Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Victor Gonzalez, a member of the board of directors of the Union of Agricultural exporters of Non-Traditional Products of Panama (Gantrap) and owner of the Agrotropical Sostenible SA exporting company, stated that more than 40 containers with watermelons -out of 113 that had been shipped from Panama to the Dutch port of Rotterdam-, had to be incinerated due to the decrease in the consumption of this highly perishable fruit.
"In the pandemic, the purchasing power fell and consumers prefer to invest their resources in other essential items, even though fruit and vegetable consumption can strengthen the immune system," said Gonzalez. “In addition to losing the fruit, we must bear the cost of incineration. Each container transported 1,400 boxes of watermelons with an average weight of 25,000 kilograms,” Gonzalez said.
During the present agricultural cycle, the agricultural exporters that are members of Gantrap planned to export 800 containers with watermelons and melons, with a capacity for approximately 20,000 kilograms of fruit per container. However, due to COVID-19, only 60% of the estimated containers could be shipped, stated producer Francisco Antunez.
Antunez, who is also a member of Gantrap, stated part of the 40% of the fruit that could not be exported was sold in the local market, and that approximately 80,000 quintals of fruit were lost in the field.
Panama exports 70% of its watermelon and melon production to Europe, mainly to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Spain, mostly to Barcelona, one of the cities with the highest number of infections. 30% is marketed in the United States.
Source: prensa.com
