“Here we go again. Those not happy with stocks ran to bonds and then back to stocks then over to treasuries…oh yea gold was in there somewhere? Who the hell is steering the ship? It’s nothing but a shell game anymore!” I liked this comment to a Bloomberg post as the market continued to tank on last week with an up tick on Friday that everyone seized on like a life raft! “Most U.S. stocks gained, halting a four-day slump, European equities rebounded and Treasuries fell amid speculation policy makers will act to prevent the debt crisis from worsening.” RIGHT!!
I would offer an alternative. Food products consumed by the population right here in the Panama where the middle class is expanding and demanding better products and healthy ones to boot. Range fed beef for example, one of the best products here in Panama is being upgraded with better genetics and we are producing better quality beef every day here. No corn fed, antibiotic or hormone manipulated garbage like the kind from feed lots found in most “first world countries”. We have a cattle operation here and we are crossing pure bred Angus with some of the locally raised better breeds in the higher altitude pasture.
Meet Mr. Brangus, comes from and an Angus and a cross bred F-1 . One day he is born and he starts off small but grows to a thousand pounds in under a year! At 90 cents a pound live weight he is sold in leading grocery stores as “tender baby beef”. When we are at the ranch, I know that my investment will not be affected by con artists on Wall Street but well cared for by me and my partner with whom we control the process!! Meet my partner Rolando. Banker turned cowboy!
Another opportunity is a dairy operation where milk has gone from 32 cents per liter to 55 cents and still we can only produce half of what is consumed here in Panama. While the operations are not concentrated dairy operations in free stall barns, the cows are also free ranged on grass and in the higher altitudes produce about three times the average amount of milk in other areas of Panama. Again, the location is our province of Chiriqui where we range our cattle and the dairy operations here are generally above 3,000 feet. Most of the more successful operations have at least 150 producing animals but some smaller operations can be successful also. I can personally attest to some of the locally made yogurts and cheese that are delicious and there in lies the future. The key is to take it from production to final products that are more profitable still. Meet some happy cows in a pastoral setting.
And for the vegetarians out there as well as everyone who loves fresh fruit and vegetables, we have high altitude green house operations, some of which practice organic growing methods with incredible success. Here in Panama there is a growing trend (no pun intended) to eat healthier foods and pesticide and chemical free veggies and fruits are gaining in popularity. I have seen small operations set up and running that can amortize out in a year or two. We are now looking into larger operations that can not only supply better quality products locally but for export as well. As an example, bell peppers that grow to huge sizes here are one half the FOB Dominican Republic prices that are shipped throughout the Caribbean and the US as well. Once the Cold Chain is established for produce, I see Panama becoming a lead exporter.
We have the land here in Chiriqui, the experts and the energy to assist investors with profitable operations here in Panama. We are stakeholders and remain active in the operations that we are establishing. If you have an interest in seeing your investment grow and cash flow, you might want to consider the AG business here in Panama, specifically here in Chiriqui. The AG business sector is growing and business is good.
If you want to discuss opportunities that we can recommend, call me at 305-448-1003 or in Panama at 507-6810-1074.