Panama peels back path to recovery with Chiquita talks on banana industry revival

The Panamanian government plans to hold an inter-institutional meeting with Chiquita Panama and the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) in the coming days. The goal, said Trade and Industry Minister Julio Moltó, is to coordinate the next steps to revive the banana industry in Bocas del Toro.

The initiative is part of President José Raúl Molino’s administrative plan to restore banana production after a months-long crisis that halted operations and put thousands of Panamanian jobs at risk.

A recovery plan for Chiquita Panama

“We have to set up a working table with them.  That’s what we’re here for: to meet with the company representatives, MIDA, and all the institutions involved so this can be done properly,” Moltó says.

The meeting follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this year between the government and Chiquita Panama. Moltó says that, under the agreement, the project’s initial phase has already created over 3,000 jobs, focused on cleaning and preparing farms for production.

According to official projections, the second phase, set for December and January, will resume banana exports and create an additional 2,000 jobs.

“It is important that we recover our largest international export product,” Moltó adds.

Halted operations

Chiquita Panama suspended operations in mid-2025 after a prolonged strike linked to reforms in the country’s social security system. 

The stoppage involved several trade unions and disrupted production across Bocas del Toro, historically one of Panama’s leading banana-producing regions.

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