Del Monte has replaced Chiquita in the attempt to revive banana production in the 1,765 acres owned by the cooperative of former employees, in Chiriqui.
Previous negotiations were suspended earlier this year when the sale was announced of Chiquita Brands to the Brazilian consortium Cutrale-Safra, who requested an extension of the deadline for negotiations until next December.However, the company Del Monte has also shown interest in reviving the banana lands, and will be reviewing and updating its proposal for presentation at the next meeting to be convened in eight days.
The Brazilian company Cutrale-Safra, the new owner of Chiquita Brands, has stopped the negotiations which had been taking place with the Agricultural Association to rent the land and resume production at the banana plantation.
The directors of Cutrale-Safra consortium requested more time to analyze and review the financial information of Chiquita Brands, temporarily suspending negotiations which were being held with the Agricultural Association Rodolfo Aguilar Delgado (Aparad) to revive the cultivation and production of bananas in Baru.
The transnational wants to make an agreement for production with the owners of the 1,765 smallholdings in Baru which resulted from the liquidation of Coosemupar.
The former banana workers in the area obtained the aforementioned number of titles to the land individually and are looking for a revival of production and employment sources.
Now Chiquita Brands is proposing an investment plan of $36 million to resume planting fruit in the area.
Both Chiquita and Del Monte are participating in the auction of 3,100 acres that were part of the former grounds of the now defunt Coosemupar
Both companies are in talks with the Government and former employees of Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples de Puerto Armuelles. A report by Ana Giselle Rosas de Vallarino, executive director of the Panamanian Autonomous Cooperative (IPACOOP) has revealed that with the money from the auction, the government will have to pay $17 million as payment of the worker-employer fee and other debts to suppliers .
The company has reached an agreement with the 1,700 former workers who were awarded individual plots in the area.
"The agreement was reached yesterday at a meeting in Finca Blanco, which was attended by over 800 members of the defunct Cooperative 'Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples de Puerto Armuelles', and transnational manager in Bocas del Toro, Julio Vargas, among others ", reported Prensa.com.
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