The President of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez, inspected the banana crops of the Jobito farm in the company of executives of the Banapiña company and state ministers 30 days after the first banana harvest for export in the banana plantations in the village of Puerto Armuelles, district of Baru, province of Chiriqui.
Varela said that Chiriqui was going to continue exporting all the agricultural products it did before, and that, now, it was also going to export bananas, after the activity in a very productive area of the country had declined in the last two decades.
The sublease contract of more than 1,600 farms for the banana reactivation in Baru exceeds 13 million dollars.
The agreement, for 20 years renewable and for 9.9 million balboas, establishes farms in Mango and Jobito, which will be used first to start producing and exporting bananas.
The reactivation of the banana zone is expected to generate 3,100 direct jobs and 12,000 indirect jobs in the commerce and service sectors. The company is expected to invest more than 100 million balboas in a period of seven years.
During the tour, the President was able to verify the construction of a banana packing plant that will be of great importance for the export process and that could give jobs to the women of the district in the production.
According to estimates, the Banapiña SA company will produce about 900 hectares each year, with an average annual productivity of 2,725 boxes of bananas per hectare.
