The Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) celebrates an announcement made by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock about the opening of the Panama market for Brazilian chicken and pork meat, according to a press release from the association.

The Panamanian Food Agency – a body of the Government of Panama equivalent to the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture – responds to a sectoral request made to the Brazilian Government and forwarded to the authorities of the Central American country in 2023 for the opening of the market to pork and poultry products.

Country of 4.4 million inhabitants and with a large tourist flow, with one of the highest per capita consumption of chicken meat in Latin America – around 54 kilos per capita in 2023, according to the Instituto Latinoamericano del Pollo (ILP ) – and with a per capita consumption of pork of 12.6 kilos, according to FAOSTAT – Panama is a market with significant external demand for products.

In 2023, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Panama imported 15,500 tons of chicken meat – almost entirely from the United States and Canada – and 17,000 tons of pork – also from, mostly from North America.

The opening of the market offers, in this sense, an opportunity for diversification for the Panamanian population, complementing local protein production – according to the ILP, Panama produced 218.4 thousand tons of chicken meat in 2023.

"Just as it has acted in other nations, Brazil must act in complementarity with local production, expanding the offer of products and generating opportunities for processors and other Panamanian suppliers," said Ricardo Santin, president of ABPA. "This is yet another international advance achieved by Minister Carlos Fávaro and his team, generating more opportunities and partnerships for poultry and pig farming in Brazil."