PANAMA CITY, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Panamanian poultry sector sees the Chinese market as an opportunity to revitalize the industry, which has faced a decrease in demand from important areas such as restaurants and hotels due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Luis Carlos Castroverde, president of the National Association of Poultry Farmers of Panama, said that Panama's poultry industry hopes to find a window for its exports to China.
He said that the Panamanian government and the Chinese government last week signed a protocol for Panama's exports of poultry to China, part of which will regulate the inspection, quarantine, and other veterinary requirements for the introduction of Panama's poultry into the Chinese market.
This is the third agreement signed during the government of Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo that has facilitated the exports of Panamanian products to China, he said.
Castroverde explained that the niche approach is appropriate for Panama, where poultry is a small-scale industry and unable to send large volumes to a market as big as China.
Approximately 80,000 people are involved in the poultry industry in Panama, which has a population of merely over 4 million, he said.
He noted that Panama's poultry industry currently supplies its domestic market and exports mainly processed products to Central American and Caribbean countries.
He stressed that the newest protocol signed with China is an opportunity and an example that the Chinese market is opening its doors for Panama's poultry industry.
"We recognize the will of the Chinese government, of the Chinese customs authorities that we know have been working with the government of Panama to open these possibilities," Castroverde said.
He also said it was important to be able to explore China's market and to see consumer habits and preferences, adding the modernization of the Panamanian poultry industry will give it an advantage for its sustainable growth in the future. Enditem
