Darien rice and livestock boom

RICE PRODUCTION in Darien province  was up 35.5 percent at the close of the agricultural year 2015-2016 as farmers move from other areas, literally seeking greener pastures.

Rice cultivation and livestock,are the  main engines of the agricultural sector in the country,
Darien farmers have  planted s 4,987 hectares, of rice an increase of 35.5%, over  2012 to 2013, according to figures from the Department of Agriculture MIDA.

“In Los Santos a large percentage of rice planting takes place in the districts of Tonosí, Pocrí and Guararé, areas where soils have lost moisture and water availability is scarce,” said  said Moses Batista, head of the Department of Agriculture Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA).

These headwinds have driven the exodus to Darien, an agricultural area which until 2000 reported no grain planting..
“Planting rice and livestock farming in the Darien province on the rise,” says Ricardo Solis, manager of the Agricultural Development Bank (BDA).

The state development bank has disbursed over $10 million over the last three years in the Darien agricultural sector. In rice, the growth has been sustained, said the official. The BDA in 2014 financed the planting of 104 hectares of rice.In 2015 loans were granted to cultivate 3300 hectares and in 2016 it has processed loans for 7,000 hectares.
In livestock nearly $3 million has been disbursed.
Livestock activity funded by the BDA in 2014 was nil, but in 2015 credits for $1.2 million dollars were granted and now $3 million disbursement is  pending.
The money is used by 60% for the purchase of animals and 40% for milk production.
Darien graze more than 180,000 cattle, 1.7 million in the country.
The rise of farming in Darien because new areas are being granted land titles (one of the basic requirements for funding) and proximity to the capital city, said Luis Diaz, CEO of Banca Agropecuaria the National Bank of Panama (BNP).

Darien has a regime favored with fairly stable upland rain. The producer can plant without any problem, because he  will have enough water for crops.

planting. In livestock is 75% for the buying and breeding animals and 25% for milk production.
The value of the Darien land has also increased, said Jose Manuel Rodriguez, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (Anagan), chapter of Darien.
LAND VALUE UP
The price of land continues to rise, 34 years ago a hectare a cost of $300 and now the price exceeds $12,000, Rodriguez said.

The awakening of the agricultural area was originally  the cultivation of teak for reforestation,
“However, in the last three years the boom has been in  planting because the land is fairly flat, which is favorable for this crop,” notes Rodriguez.

The rise of the rice activity in Darien  is helping  cut the country’s annual deficit of 3 million quintals.

The country’s annual rice  consumption is  each year 8.5 million quintals and the local harvest is 5.5 million quintals.