Panama Will be Exporting Beef to Japan

2012-01-11

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has listed Panama as one of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease) risk negligible countries. The Japanese government agreed, after nearly three years of risk assessment, to Panama selling beef and offal to the Japanese consumer market. After the Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster in March 2011, Panama donated a shipment of beef to the Japanese government, giving the affected Japanese people a firsthand experience with Panama beef. Director General of Exports of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr. Ricardo Barnett, said that expanding new markets in Asian countries is very important to the development of Panama’s animal and husbandry industry. Panama is currently exporting beef to Mexico, El Salvador, Taiwan and other countries. In 2009, the total value of imported beef and offal from Panama to Taiwan was more than 3 million U. S. dollars. The amount doubled in 2010. While in the first 10 months of 2011, the amount has reached more than 6 million U. S. dollars.