Panama: Landbouw en visserij
From Handelswijzer Midden-Amerika
Features
The agricultural and fisheries sectors' share of GDP is relatively modest (6.8 per cent), but they are a major source of jobs (19.6 per cent) and export of goods (43 per cent). Average tariff protection (10.8 per cent) in the agricultural sector (ISIC classification) is above the overall mean; tariffs on some dairy products, products of animal origin and sugar cane range from 144 to 260 per cent. Panama administered tariff quotas for all the products in its schedule of market access commitments and in most cases around 100 per cent of the quotas were utilized. Panama notified the WTO that it granted both domestic support and subsidies for investment and the export of agricultural products.
The agricultural and fishing sectors (excluding food processing) account for a fairly modest share of Panama's GDP, but their contribution to employment and, above all, to exports is substantial. In 2006, the GDP shares of agriculture (including livestock and forestry) and fishing were 4.4 per cent and 2.4 per cent, respectively. According to data from the August 2006 household survey, the agricultural sector employed 17.2 per cent of the labour force (of which one third were underemployed) and the fishing sector 1.1 per cent. In 2006, the leading agricultural products according to production value were the following: bovine animals and goats (16.5 per cent); poultry (16.2 per cent); various types of fruit (14.2 per cent); bananas (11.7 per cent); swine (5.7 per cent) and sugar cane (5.6 per cent).
The agricultural sector grew slowly from 2001 to 2006, at an annual average rate of 1.7 per cent. From 2002 to 2006, however, the production of various types of fruit and poultry was extremely dynamic, growing at annual average rates of 34.0 and 6.2 per cent, respectively. The fishing sector also expanded considerably at an annual average rate of 10.6 per cent during the period 2001-2006.
During the period 2000-2005, the value of agricultural exports was on average 26.0 per cent of Panama's total exports. Over the same period, in terms of value, exports of melons, watermelons and fresh papayas replaced bananas as Panama's major export products. According to data provided by the authorities, in 2005, the major agricultural exports were: melons, watermelons and fresh papayas (41.0 per cent of agricultural exports); bananas (33.6 per cent); and bovine cattle (7.4 per cent). During the period 2000-2005, agricultural imports accounted on average for 3.2 per cent of Panama's total imports. In 2005, the largest agricultural imports were maize (33.3 per cent), wheat (19.9 per cent) and rice (12.1 per cent).
In 2005, close to 90 per cent of fisheries production was exported. During the period 2000-2005, the value of fisheries exports was on average 9.7 per cent of Panama's total exports.
Bron: Organization of American State's Foreign Trade Information System (SICE)
Zie ook de regionale sectorstudie Groente-, Fruit- en Sierteelt en de artikelen uit de maandelijkse Nieuwsflits.
