business

Highland growers could help provision cruise ships

LA PRENSA

opportunity: Fruit and vegetable growers in the country’s highlands would benefit from the development of the ship chandling business in Panama. 1057040

The business of provisioning ships with food and other supplies, known in the maritime industry as ship chandling, is in its infancy in Panama, according to a study undertaken by the Maritime & Logistic Consulting Group (M&L) for the Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario (Mida). But that could change.

The Ministerio is interested in growing the business so that fruit and vegetable growers in the Chiriquí highlands can establish direct relations with provisioning companies.

The M&L study revealed that most of the businesses currently supplying food to ships transiting the Panama Canal or docking in the country's ports work primarily with container ships and bulk carriers. Few are experienced in providing food for cruise ships.

“Only on very rare occassions do cruise ships pick up provisions in Panama. They take on supplies only out of necessity. And, according to the companies surveyed, supplying this market is an activity little known to them,” M&L reported.

There are at least 10 companies in the country dedicated to supplying ships---Mercansa, Mishal, Millenium, NYF Panama, Bryteside Tech, Chindo Internacional, Mec Store, Internacional Tagaropulos, Nauticaltech International and Stward Agency---but only the last six of these are members of the Cámara Marítima de Panamá and categorized by the trade organization as a “maritime shipping supplier.”

“These businesses don't have the docks designed for supplying ships, much less the specialized equipment for meeting their needs. Neither is there a distribution center for agricultural products near the ships that has refrigeration,” M&L noted.

The president of the Asociación de Ship Chandlers de Panamá, Vikash Deepak, acknowledges that, depite Panama's strategic geographic position, with its nearly 3,000 kilometers of coast, its ports and the Canal, the ship chandling business has hardly been explored by Panamanians. He recommends that the government invest in the infrastructure needed to take advantage of the extraordinary opportunity presented when Colón becomes a port of origin for Caribbean cruise ships beginning in December of this year.

According to one expert, the quantity of food required to provision just one cruise ship is equal to four or five months of production in the highlands.

The M&L study points out that not all the fruits and vegetables served on cruise ships can be easily obtained in quantity Panama, including blueberries, tangerines, and red onions, but that's not to say that they aren't or can't be grown here. What's lacking is the commercialization of their production in mass quantities, the study says, along with major improvements in harvesting, handling, refrigeration and distribution. Cruise ship operators and their culinary professionals demand not only the highest quality fruits and vegetables for passengers, but also insist on freshness, attractive packaging and labelling, and reliable deliveries. In this regard, Panama has a long way to go just to satisfy many of the people who live here, let alone those passing through on a luxury cruise ship.