A group of farmers from Sona, in the province of Veraguas in Panama, left behind their former crops, to join together and grow five hectares of pineapple.
Now they are harvesting and the fruit is exported to Belgium in Europe, earning USD$20,000 per hectare, said producers Francisca Garcia, Omar Jaramillo and Ovid RUiz.
Farmers form the Association of Producers of Quebrada de Oro, and are working in partnership, with the help of MIDA-Prorural.
Exotic Fruits exporting company in the West installed a collection centre in Sona, where workers have been hired from the community, which is providing significant economic benefit in the region, said Ronald Chanis, manager of that company.
52 families are benefiting from the project, but they want to expand so that more members can join. For the time being five hectares have been planted, but it is expected to increase to 15.
Source: Tvn-2.com