1.2.6.- Panamá

Figure 1.7    Country map Panama.

1.2.6.1.- General facts

Official name: Republic of Panama          

Capital: Panama City

Name
Originally Panama was populated by several Indian tribes, which subsisted on fishing. The word ‘panama’ means ‘fish in abundance’.

Time
Five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT -5)
The Netherlands: daylight saving time = GMT +2, winter-time = GMT +1

1.2.6.2.- Geography

Location
Panama is located on the Central America isthmus and lies between 7°00'-9°45' northern latitude and 77°00'-83°15' western longitude.

Borders
Costa Rica to the west (330 km), Colombia to the east (225 km), the Caribbean sea to the north and the North Pacific Ocean to the south.

Area
77,727 km² (75,517 km² of land and 2,210 km² of water)

Altitude
The lowest altitude level in the country is the Pacific Ocean at sea level, the highest point is Volcán Barú (formerly known as the Volcán de Chiriquí), a volcanic mountain with an elevation of 3,475m.

Characterization
Panama lies on the narrowest stretch of the isthmus connecting North and South America. It is cut lengthways by a mountain range, which is called the ‘Cordillera de Talamanca’ near the Costa Rican border. Farther east it becomes the ‘Serranía de Tabasará’, and the portion of it closer to the lower part of the isthmus, where the Panama Canal is located, is often called the ‘Sierra de Veraguas’. As a whole, the range between Costa Rica and the canal is generally referred as the ‘Cordillera Central’
The mountain range runs through the centre of the country, with coastal plains of varying width on either side. The eastern region of Darien next to Colombia is dominated by dense tropical rain forest. The main agricultural areas are located on a plain located on the Pacific side of the mountain range in the west, in Chiriqui province bordering Costa Rica.
The Panama Canal stretches roughly across the middle of the country, providing passage between the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south.

1.2.6.3.- Recent history

In May 1984 Nicolás Ardito Barletta won the presidency. However, the military continued to wield power and General Manuel Antonio Noriega, who in August 1983 had assumed leadership of the Fuerzas de Defensa Nacional (FDN), the new name for the National Guard, forced Mr Barletta to resign in 1985. A series of civilian figurehead presidents followed. Figures in both Panama and the US accused General Noriega of illegal activities, among them drug-trafficking and money-laundering. After similar denunciations from a former Noriega ally, in 1987 the general’s resignation and the holding of elections were demanded. The US suspended economic aid, two US grand juries indicted General Noriega on drug charges, and the US administration led by the then president, George Bush, pressed for General Noriega’s departure from office.
Guillermo Endara of the opposition coalition, the Alianza Democrática de Oposición Civilista (ADOC), won the presidential election held in May 1989, but the results were abruptly annulled by the military controlled by General Noriega. A series of minor incidents involving Panamanian soldiers and US Southern Command personnel led the Noriega-controlled Legislative Assembly to declare in mid-December 1989 that Panama was at war with the US. Citing the need to protect US citizens living in Panama, the US invaded on December 20th 1989. Troops took General Noriega to Miami to stand trial, where he was convicted of drug and blackmailing offences and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Following the overthrow of the Noriega regime, Mr Endara was yet sworn in as president at a US military base on the day of the invasion. Democracy was restored. President Endara transformed the Panamanian military into a police force under civilian control, and strengthened democratic institutions.
In the May 1994 election, PRD candidate Ernesto Pérez Balladares won the presidency. He pushed a wide-ranging economic reform package through the Legislative Assembly, with support from minor parties.
In 2004 Martín Torrijos, son of late dictator Omar, of the 'Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD) eventually won the elections, after being defeated in 1999 by Mireya Moscoso, the widow of the former President Madrid ousted by Martin Torrijos’ father.

1.2.6.4.- Social aspects

Population

Development
Human Development Index (HDI): 0.809 (rank 58) (2006)
Human Poverty Index (HPI-1): 7.9% (rank 12) (2006) (See Appendix C, Table c.1)

Working Population
Unemployment rate: 7.4% (2006 est.)
Composition: 20.8% Agriculture, 18.0% Industry, 61.2% Service (2006)

Bilingualism
Bilingualism can be considered good in Panama City and insufficient in the rest of the country. Panama City attracts almost all foreign businesses and banks and therefore, education in the city can hardly be compared to the rest of the (still poor) country.

1.2.6.5.- Safety

In comparison with other Central American countries, the safety risk in Panama is relatively low. The main safety concerns in Panama relate to an increase in the use of illegal firearms and concerns that the growing number of Colombian immigrants is contributing to a rise in violent crime.
As a result of rising crime, police checkpoints are sometimes set up in Panama City and Colón at weekends and curfews established for minors less than 18 years of age in Panama City. The number of private security companies has risen substantially.
Although there has been an increasing trend of ordinary crime rates in the main urban centres of Panama City and in Colón, the crimes are typical of those afflicting most of the world’s metropolitan areas, and are primarily pick-pocketing and theft, often with violence or the threat of violence. Panama has little problems with youth gangs, which affect other parts of Central America. Kidnappings of wealthy Panamanians occur much less frequently than in countries such as Colombia, Mexico and Brazil.

1.2.6.6.- Political aspects

Form of state
Presidential democracy with Legislative Assembly

Constitution
The present Panamanian constitution has been in force since 1983. In that year a referendum revised General Torrijos authoritarian constitution of 1972, re-establishing it along traditional liberal lines.
In 1994 the Legislative Assembly endorsed a constitutional amendment that abolished the permanent armed forces. The amendment permits the temporary establishment of special police units to combat acts of external aggression and special units to protect the borders.
Three indigenous groups, the Kuna, Ngöbe-Buglé and Emberá-Wounaan peoples manage ‘comarcas’ (autonomous territories), covering 20% of the republic.

Executive power
The executive power is formed by the President, elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage and not eligible for re-election in two successive terms. The president is supported by two vice-presidents and a cabinet of 12 ministers, who are appointed by the president.

Legislative power
The legislative power is constituted by a single house Legislative Assembly (‘Asamblea Legislativa’), consisting of 78 Parliament Members, elected directly by universal suffrage for a period of five years.

Judiciary power
The president proposes the nine judges for the Supreme Court. They are approved by the Legislative Assembly and sit for terms of ten years. A system of appeal originates in courts of first instance, rising to the Supreme Court at the apex.

Main political parties
Government: Patria Nueva (PN) coalition, comprising the Partido Revolucionario
Democrático (PRD) and the Partido Popular (PP).
Opposition: Partido Panameñista (formerly the Partido Arnulfista); Movimiento Liberal Repúblicano Nacionalista (Molirena); Cambio Democrático (CD); Union Patriotica (UP, comprising Solidaridad and the Partido Liberal Nacional).

Political stability
Political stability and absence of violence indicator (PV): -0.05 (2005)
(See Appendix A, table a.1)

Since the end of General Noriega’s regime in 1989, political violence in the country is rare. Abolishment of the armed forces prevents the occurrence of military coups and regimes. Worker and student protests occasionally occur in Panama City, but these demonstrations do not typically target (foreign) business operations.
Panama’s border with Colombia is relatively porous, due to the difficult nature of the terrain in the Darién area. Drug activity is a serious problem in the province and encounters between Colombian guerrillas and Panamanian police occur frequently. The civil conflict in Colombia also led to an influx of illegal Colombian refugees.
Panama is also a significant transit point for illegal drugs heading to North America and other markets. However, it has increased security and has improved co-operation with the US in this area.

Effectiveness
Government effectiveness indicator (GE) : 0.11 (2005)
Regulatory quality indicator (RQ) : 0.25 (2005)
(See Appendix A, table a.2)
Historically the effectiveness of policymaking has been compromised by vested interests, corruption and a lack of will on the part of successive governments to pursue structural reforms. The judicial system is weak, slow and subject to corruption and political Interference. Up to 60% of prisoners in Panama’s jails have not been convicted.

Corruption
Control of corruption indicator (CC) : -0.27 (2005)
(See appendix A, table a.2)
Corruption Perception Index (CPI) : 3.1 (rank 84) (2006)
(See appendix A, table a.3 and Appendix B, table b.1)

1.2.6.7.- Economic aspects

Currency
The national currency is the Balboa (B) which has teh same value as the US Dollar ($). The US dollar is used as local currency.

Developments
The Panamanian economy is characterized by an extensively developed service sector, mainly due to the contribution of the Panama Canal, the Zona Libre de Colón and the Centro Bancario Internacional, which contribute about 75% of the total GDP. Unlike other Central American countries, agriculture only makes a small contribution to the GDP (about 5%), but still 25% of the population is employed in the sector. As the service sector is more capital-intensive and competitive, the production gap between this sector, on the one hand, and agriculture and industry, on the other, contributed to wide income wealth differences between their respective labour forces. The relatively little employment possibilities in the service sectors related to the Canal also brings about a high unemployment rate.
Economic policies over the past decade have focused on efforts to improve international competitiveness and build capacity in Canal related services and to place the public debt dynamics on a sustainable path. Panama joined the World Trade Organisation in 1997 and reduced its import tariffs (on average, Panama has the lowest import tariffs of Latin America), several government led companies were privatized, a national maritime strategy was developed to increase services exports, and free trade agreement negotiations with important trade partners were intensively undertaken, of which the agreement signed with the US in 2006 is the most important one.
Since 1999, Panama was experiencing a declining economic growth, which was partly due to the formal transfer of the Canal to Panama, high oil prices, and a stagnating world trade. In 2003 the economic growth was recovered with a general recovery of the world economy.

Foreign investment
After the complete transfer of the Canal in 1999, it was expected that foreign direct investments were going to increase rapidly. However this development did not take place, despite an intensive government campaign towards foreign investors, imputed to the negative circumstances on the international trade market.
The recent recovery of the international economy improved the growth of direct foreign investment in Panama. At the moment, among the Central American countries, Panama is the one who attracts the highest FDI levels. FDI flows amounted to US$ 2560 million in 2006, almost three times the 2005 figure.
With a share of 80% the EU was the main investor in Panama in 2006, followed by the United States. Among EU Member States it is Spain and the UK that rank first in terms of FDI flows to Panama. Most attractive sectors are real estate, telecommunications, banking, infrastructure and tourism. The widening of the Panama Canal, approved by the referendum in 2006, should have a significant impact on FDI in the coming years.
The investment climate in Panama is very positive and obstacles to FDI practically don’t exist. The country’s legislation offers considerable legal and fiscal advantages to national and foreign investors. Panama is very likely to continue to attract high levels of FDI in the near future. The enlargement of the Panama Canal will offer enormous possibilities for European companies. Panama has already signed conventions on treatment and protection of investments with several EU Member States, among them France, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

Free trade zones
At the moment there are 8 Free Trade Zones (‘Zona Franca’) located in Panama:

Zona Franca Baru, Zona Libre de Colón, ZONA PANEXPORT, Zona Procesadora Albrook, Zona Procesadora Davis, Zona Porcesadora de Corozal, Zona Proinexport y Zona Schlobhom.

(For more information: http://zonasfrancas.net/zonas.php).

1.2.6.8.- Fiscal aspects

Tax system
The tax rates for Panama are given in the table below.

Taxes are favourable in Panama. Not just for foreigners having legal entities in Panama, but also local companies.

1.2.6.9.- Invesment capital

Availability
Investment capital would be considered to be easily available because of the dollarized economy but most of all because Panama has international fame as the financial heart of the America’s.
Loans are hard to be obtained for the agricultural sector. Nevertheless, efforts are being made to stimulate credits for rural development and export oriented agricultural production.

Interest rates
Lending rate: 8.7%
Deposit rate: 2.7%  (2005)

1.2.6.10.- Infraestructure and communication

Roads
The road network in Panama is strongly improved during the last years. Both the Pan American Highway from Costa Rica to the province of Darién and the Transisthmian Higway between Panama City and Colón has been renovated. Two new toll roads were constructed, which improved the connection between important suburban areas and Panama City. Besides, a new road was constructed between the urban area and Bocas Del Toro (the popular tourist attraction) and plans are being made for the construction of a new toll road between Panama City and Colón.
The roads beyond the urban area around Panama City, the Pan American Highway and the new road to Bocas del Toro, are of moderate quality. Last year the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has granted a loan to Panama for improvement of the infrastructure in remote areas.
Panama City is coping with high levels of traffic jams, as, due to lower import tariffs and cheap consumer credit, car ownership has risen substantially since the late 1990s. A unitary transport authority was created in 2001, but did little to improve the transport network in the city.

Airports
Panama has two international airports. The largest of the two is Tocumen International Airport in Panama City. The airport is a regional hub serving 16 airlines and is state owned enterprise, although its management board enjoys autonomy in day-to-day decision making. As from summer 2008 KLM is planning to operate a direct flight to from Amsterdam to Tocumen International Airport, three times a week. This will benefit cargo to the Netherlands from entire Central America since Tocumen International Airport is a regional hub for the local airline COPA Airlines.
The second one is David International Airport, located near the Costa Rican border in the province of Chiriqui. A third airport, a former U.S.A. landing strip which is used for domestic flights only, is Marcos Gelabert Airport, located near Panama City. There are plans to construct two more international airports in the coming 10 years.  The first one is planned for the former air force base Howard, and will be used for cargo planes and maintenance services. The second airport is planned to be constructed at the former military facility France Field, with the purpose of transportation of cruise passengers and goods for the tax free zone Colon.

Harbours
The Panamanian ports system has improved considerably since privatisation in the 1990s, when the Panama Ports Company (PPC) took over the management. Panama has become one of the most important bases in the region for container transhipment and possesses the most advanced harbour facilities of Latin America, both on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
Numerous investments took place to improve the quality and capacity of the harbours. In 2003 a new harbour was opened on the island of Taboguilla (Pacific coast) and in 2004 a US$ 200 million expansion of the Balboa container port was completed, doubling its capacity.
PPC is already planning an additional investment of about US$ 1 billion to enlarge the capacities of Cristobal en Balboa harbours, and on the Atlantic coast a US$500 million expansion of Evergreen’s Colón Container Terminal and Manzanillo International Terminal have received government approval. Furthermore, the Panamanian authorities have launched a bidding process for the concession to build a mega-port on the west side of the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal (US$ 600 million – US$ 1 billion).

Railroads
During the 1970-80s the railroad network in Panama has fallen into disrepair. In 2001 two US companies (Kansas City Southern Industries and Mi-Jack Products) have invested USD 75 million to renovate the railroad line along the Panama Canal, in order to create a ‘railroad-canal’ for cargo transport between the Free Trade Zone in Colon and Panama City. At the moment this railroad line is also used as a passenger and tourist line.

The Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The canal is presently handling more vessel traffic than had ever been envisioned by its builders. Canal traffic in 2005 consisted of 278.8 million tons of shipping.
With demand rising, the canal is positioned to be a significant feature of world shipping for the foreseeable future. However, changes in shipping patterns, particularly the increasing numbers of post-Panama ships, will necessitate changes to the canal if it is to retain a significant market share. It is anticipated that by 2011, 37% of the world's container ships will be too large for the present canal, and hence a failure to expand would result in loss of market share.
In 2006, the ‘Panama Canal expansion proposal’ was approved by the Panamanian people. The largest project at the Canal since its original construction, the expansion will double its capacity and allow more traffic. The project will create a new lane of traffic along the Canal through the construction of a new set of locks.
According to the ACP, the project will have an estimated cost of US$5.25 billion, will be self-financed by tolls increase and will take up to 7 or 8 years of construction time.
Tolls for the canal are decided by the Panama Canal Authority and are based on vessel type, size, and the type of cargo carried. For container ships, the toll is assessed per "TEU" (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit), which is the size of a container measuring 20 feet by 8 feet by 8.5 feet (6 m by 2.4 m by 2.6 m). Effective May 1, 2007, this toll is US$54 per TEU. The average toll is around US$54,000.

Telephone
Telephone mainlines: 118 /1,000 people (2006)
Cellular subscribers: 270 /1,000 people (2006) (See Appendix C, table c.1)
Telecommunications have expanded rapidly since 1996, when BellSouth International (US) introduced A-band cellular phones. All provinces now have cellular coverage provided by both BellSouth and Cable & Wireless (UK), which have operated B-band services since 1998. In 2005 Spanish-based Telefónica began to operate as Movistar after buying the concession and installations of BellSouth in 2004. The mobile phone branch is opened for competition in 2007.
In May 1997 a 49% share in the Instituto Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, the state telecoms company, was sold to Cable & Wireless. By September 1998 Cable & Wireless had increased the number of fixed lines from 330,000 to 400,000. The company’s monopoly on fixed telephony services came to an end in January 2003, when the sector was fully liberalised. Mobile density is around 27 per 100 inhabitants and fixed-line density is 118 per 1,000 people.

Internet
Internet users: 94 /1,000 people (2006) (See Appendix C, table c.1)
There are around 80 private Internet service providers and around 200,000 Internet subscribers. The total number of users is estimated at three per subscription, nearly 500,000 in total. Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) technology was introduced by Cable & Wireless (UK) in 2003.
Only around 40 companies have websites, and domestic online sales remain low because of limited availability of goods online. Companies use their websites more to advertise their products than to sell them. Companies in the Zona Libre de Colón (ZLC, the Colón Free Zone) are rapidly developing the use of the Internet for taking orders. Around 30 banks offer clients Internet access to their accounts.

Electricity
In 1998 the Institute for Hydro-power and Electricity (IRHE) was privatised and from that moment shares are owned by different foreign investors. However, the government still controls the electricity distribution. Due to strong economic growth during 2004-2006, the electricity demand in Panama increased rapidly. The Panamanian electricity grid is interconnected with that of its Central American neighbours, to which Panama is small exporter of electricity.
The energy supply in Panama is mainly generated through hydroelectric (about 60%) by four main hydroelectric plants. The proportion is expected to rise further given the substantial potential still unexploited and continuing high oil prices. Venezuela and Ecuador are the most important suppliers of fuel for thermal power stations. As small percentage of the power supply is generated through alternative methods.
According to a 2000 census report, 81% of the country had access to electricity. The country hopes to increase electricity coverage to 95% in the next 10-12 years. The government is also considering using solar energy to provide electricity in remote areas.

1.2.6.11.- International trade agreements

Multilateral Agreements

Free Trade Agreements

Partial Preferential Agreements

(For more information: http://www.sice.oas.org/ctyindex/PAN/PANagreements_e.asp)
Panama’s main focus under the Torrijos administration has been on negotiating an FTA with the US, historically Panama’s most important trade partner. Conclusion of an FTA with the US was delayed over the sensitive issue of opening the agricultural sector to US imports and the government’s reluctance to push ahead with the FTA prior to the referendum on the Panama Canal. A deal was finally concluded in December 2006, after ten rounds of negotiations, although by then a Democrat-controlled US Congress wary of the effect of further trade liberalisation on US jobs had put the final ratification of the deal in doubt.
The government has also renewed its efforts towards bilateral FTAs with Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Membership of the Mercado Común Centroamericano or Central American Common Market (CACM), which currently comprises Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, would enable Panama to negotiate jointly with its Central American neighbours towards a trade and co-operation agreement with the EU.

1.2.6.12.- Labour

Availability
Labour is available in large quantities, especially in rural areas. Development of agriculture is required to reduce migration to predominantly Panama City. Quality of labour is acceptable and motivation acceptable. Middle management is more difficult to find.

Quality
The duration of compulsory education in Panama is 11 years, including preschool education from four to five years of age. Panama has a high rate of literacy, exceeding 93% of the total population in the year 2000, though a high percentage of the indigenous people are still illiterate. The educational budget is normally larger than the one allotted to other ministries. Retention rates have been one of the biggest challenges facing the Panamanian educational system. Many students drop out when, after making progress in the primary grades and the first cycle of secondary education, they are forced to pay tuition to register for higher studies.
Although there has been some movement on raising educational standards, progress has been held back by a rigid and overly centralised educational system that resists change. A ten-year modernisation plan to improve the quality and coverage of educational services and promote scientific and technical training was adopted in 1996, supported by the World Bank, but achieved limited success.
The allocation of resources for public education remains highly unequal, particularly among the rural and indigenous population. There are few secondary schools in rural areas or in the indigenous regions.

Shortcomings in the education system have hampered the development of a workforce adequately adapted to the needs of the modern labour market. A lack of technically trained professionals has proved a handicap for Panama in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in information technology and services. In recent years this has led a major microprocessor manufacturer, Intel (US), to establish a plant in Costa Rica rather than in Panama, and a lack of sufficiently fluent English-speakers in Panama was reportedly behind the decision by a UK-based bank (HSBC) to open a call centre in Malaysia rather than in Panama. One of the steps taken by the government to address these shortcomings has been the instigation of a programme of English-language training to meet the immediate demand for English-speakers. Also, vocational training has been expanded through the Instituto Nacional para la Formación Profesional (Inaforp, the national training body), supported by the private sector. This programme is being extended with initiatives to provide technical training in areas that will be needed for the Canal expansion programme. However, work force for the agricultural sector is not required to be bilingual and sufficiently educated to work in this sector. Costs of labour for agriculture are high compared to countries like Nicaragua and El Salvador but still rather attractive compared to Costa Rica.

Minimum wages
The minimum wages in Panama are given in the table below.

Labour unions
Labour Unions are permitted by law for both the Public and the Private sector. This does not necessarily mean that all companies have unions. Problems rarely occur with unions and are not an issue of major concern for foreign investors.

Public holiday
January 1st; January 9th (Martyr’s Day); (Carnival, moving date); Shrove Tuesday; Ash Wednesday; Good Friday (moving date); May 1st (Labour Day); August 15th (Foundation of Panama City, Panama City only); November 3rd (Independence Day); November 4th (Flag Day); November 5th (Independence Day, Colón only); November 10th (Cry for Independence day); November 28th (Independence from Spain); December 8th (Mother’s Day); December 24th (Christmas Eve); December 25th (Christmas Day).

1.2.6.13.- Climate and natural resources

Climate
The climatic regions of Panama are determined less on the basis of temperature, but rather on rainfall, which varies from 1,500mm per year along the Pacific coast to 2,500mm on the Caribbean.
Almost all of the rain falls during the rainy season, which is usually from April to December, but varies in length from seven to nine months. In general, rainfall is much heavier on the Caribbean than on the Pacific side. Although rainy-season thunderstorms are common, the country is outside the hurricane track.
Temperatures are uniformly high, as is the relative humidity, and there is little seasonal variation. Temperatures on the Pacific side of the isthmus are somewhat lower than on the Caribbean, and breezes tend to rise after dusk in most parts of the country. Temperatures are markedly cooler in the higher parts of the mountain ranges, and frosts occur in the Cordillera de Talamanca in western Panama.

Average climate of Panama City:
Hottest month: April (average 21-36°C)
Coldest month: January (average 20-34°C)
Driest month: February (average 5mm)
Wettest month: November (average 375mm)

1.2.6.14.- Subsidies and development programs

Panama is considered to be a developed country just like Costa Rica. Development Aid from Western countries or programs to stimulate economic activities are hardly available from international organizations or governments. Nevertheless, the Panamanian government itself is pro-active in stimulating the development of the agricultural sector. A program is available to increase the production of crops like melon. Conditions can be compared to the Dutch PSOM program although a national Panamanian bank has to be involved in the process which seems to be laborious process.

1.2.6.15.- Agricultural sector organization and trade promotion

Trade promotion
APEX is the Panama association of the exporters (La Asociación Panameña de Exportadores) and represents the interests of the exporters as well as small companies which start activities in the export business.
On their website there is a directory published of all members (exporters) with their contact data (see also www.exportadorespanama.com).
GANTRAP is an organization which promotes agricultural exports. One of there latest achievements was the organization of the Central American melon congress in July 2007.

Ministry of agricultural development
The mission of the Ministry is described as follows: ‘promote and develop actions which serve as a basis to develop the agricultural industry with the participation of the businesses active in the agricultural sector’.
The Ministry of Agriculture has defined a Strategic Agricultural plan (Plan estratégico Agropecuario  2004-2009 “Manos a la obra ”).  This plan comprehends both the vision of where the sector should stand in the future and a plan how to achieve this objective.
The main focus of this plan is to improve the competitiveness of the producers by means of increasing the profits and decreasing the costs, stimulate employment and help to diminish the rural poverty. See also: www.mida.gob.pa.
The Phytosanitary service of Panama receives mixed comments. Exports are supposed to be less problematic than imports. Especially seed companies have severe problems importing their seeds and complying with all demands. Exports do not lead to serious problems regarding documents to be obtained or time required getting them.