Panama City, November 7 (Prensa Latina) The impossibility of transporting livestock to slaughterhouses or storing fresh milk in processing and receiving plants is causing losses of more than $7.5 million per week in Panama today, local media La reported Prensa.
The situation caused by fuel shortages and road blockades due to protests against the mining contract is affecting the presence of these products in the markets of this capital and in some areas of Chiquirí and Bocas del Toro.
Ovidio Saavedra, president of the National Cattlemen’s Association (Anagan), stated that in cattle farming they have stopped herding more than half of the cattle daily, which is about 545 cattle.
About 491 cattle per day were processed in private and community centers, which equates to a stock of 108 tons of meat, but about 120 tons of meat remained in the fields, he said.
He also warned that although producers are not increasing prices, there is speculation at the consumer level and in the informal market.
In the dairy industry, the continuity of production hangs by a thread. Antony Martínez, communications director of the leading dairy company Estrella Azul, described that the fresh milk collection points were full, the tankers could not reach the production areas to search for the product and that the product was lost.
“Two weeks have passed without any of our tankers being able to reach the Pueblo Nuevo plant, and this is choking all production, since 80,000 liters of milk cannot be collected daily from small producers,” Martínez added.
He also pointed out that the economic situation of small producers dependent on these sectors is deteriorating every day.
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