The Minister of Commerce and Industries, Julio Moltóreported on the afternoon of this Tuesday, May 5, that banana activity in the province of Bocas del Toro shows clear signs of recovery and an example is that the company Chiquita Panama To date, it has hired 5,065 people.
Moltó explained that, as a consequence of the strike of the Union of Workers of the Banana, Agricultural and Related Companies Industry, which began in April 2025, thousands of workers were left unemployed and the province’s economy—strongly dependent on this sector—suffered a significant impact.
Given this scenario, he recalled that the administration of President José Raúl Mulino assumed the leadership of the process to reach an agreement with Chiquita Panama that would allow the reactivation of productive activity in the province of Bocas del Toro.
The official reiterated that the reactivation process was formalized on June 11, 2025 through a memorandum of understanding signed in Brazil between Chiquita and Mulino
Moltó highlighted that the results of this management are already beginning to be reflected in the labor and productive field.
“More than 5,000 Panamanians have returned to their jobs; specifically, 5,065 workers,” he reiterated, while indicating that nearly 5,000 hectares have returned to production, with packing plants operating double shifts.
The minister stressed that this reactivation is also beginning to positively impact exports. He recalled that bananas were the country’s main export product, representing 17.5% of the total before the crisis. However, after the stoppage, its participation fell to 7.5% at the end of 2025, evidencing the blow suffered by the sector.
With the recovery underway, Panama is beginning to reestablish its export capacity in the banana sector and recover its weight within the national export basket, he added.
Moltó attributed these advances to the leadership of the Executive, highlighting Mulino’s leadership in the negotiation process and reactivation of the banana sector.
