The President of Panama was in Chiriquí yesterday and because of that, the farmers had an elaborate parade for him. This was not the typical marching band parade with high stepping majorettes.
This was a parade of farmers in cars and pickups and in tractors protesting the importation of foreign rice. The farmers want to be provide all rice for Panama, but it can be imported cheaper and the farmers can’t compete with the cheaper rice from the outside.
This is my understanding of yesterday’s protest. Anyone with a better or more complete understanding, feel free to elaborate. The high price of gasoline and diesel is taking its tole on all of the products in Chiriquí. Milk, cheese, vegetables, etc can’t be produced and delivered to market as cheaply as before.
I have to say, that this was the most orderly and best organized protest I have seen in Panama. There had to be over 50 tractors and over 200 cars and pickups in the caravan. At least that is my guess. I first saw it on the InterAmerican highway traveling in the eastward direction. I stopped close to the Pizza Hut and took a few photos.
I then drove to the Optica Lopez and then to Super99. When I was leaving Super99, the parade of tractors had made it around the loop and was passing in front of Supep99 where I took the residual of the photos. Below are a small portion of the protest parade.
In this first photo, it would be easy to think the man on the tractor is angry. He appears to be shouting something. The sign on the tractor says “No more imported rice”.
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