WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/AG/N/PAN/19 
2 April 2009 
 (09-1648) 
Committee on Agriculture Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
  The following submission, dated 25 March 2009, is  being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Panama .  The notification concerns domestic support commitments ( Table DS:1 and 
the relevant Supporting Tables) for the year 2007 . 
   
  Table DS:1 
 
DOMESTIC SUPPORT:  Panama  
REPORTING PERIOD:  2007  
Current Total Aggregate Measurement of Support 
 
Total AMS commitment level for period in  question Currency Current Total AMS 
(from Section I of Part IV of the Schedule) (from Section I of Part IV of the Schedule) (from attached Supporting Tables) 
1 2 3 
- - "de minimis" 
 G/AG/N/PAN/19 
Page 2  
   G/AG/N/PAN/19
 Page 3Supporting Table DS:1 
DOMESTIC SUPPORT:  Panama  
REPORTING PERIOD:  2007  
Measures Exempt from the Reduction Commitment – "Green Box"  
 
Measure type Name and description of measure with reference to criteria in Annex 2 Monetary value of measure 
in year in question 
(B) Data source 
1 2 3 4 
(a) General services  Ministry of Agricultural Development(1) 
Establishes general policy for the agriculture sector;  provides technical 
assistance for the country's producers;  responsible for pest control and 
sanitary surveillance at the dom estic level and for agricultural 
imports/exports;  establishes the basis for running the sector in general. 40,817,159.00 MIDA-DPS 
Pest and disease control Scre wworm eradication and control  
Eradication of the screwworm fly;  establishment and maintenance of a 
control barrier and release of sterile screwworm flies in Panama through 
the plant in operation. 9,124,224.00 MIDA-DPS 
 Preventive health campaigns (toxicology and diseases ) 
General plant and animal health campaigns. 648,571.00 MIDA-DPS 
Information services and training serv ices Subsistence farming and sustaina ble agriculture programmes, including 
crop promotion, use of accessibl e technology and environmental 
protection  
Aid and training programmes for subsis tence farmers in remote areas, 
including programmes for the promoti on of equal oppor tunities (gender 
programmes), improvement of nutriti onal status and sustainability of 
productive resources.  Includes form alizing community organizations, 
developing management skills of participating social actors, and 
authorizing local production support infrastructures with the active participation of producers' families a nd organizations, in the context of 
sustainable natural resource management. 2,252,657.00 MIDA-DPS 
Extension and advisory services – transfer 
and research Farming promotion and technological development programme
 
Development of controlled-enviro nment farming, improvement of 
established plantations, disseminati on of livestock technology with 
drought preparation programmes, and pr ovision of training and transfer of 
technology through visits, demonstr ations of production activities and 
business self-management coaching for groups of producers. 1,489,593.00 MIDA-DPS 
 Agricultural Research Programme (IDIAP ) 
Conducts key agricultural research projects;  helps farmers obtain 
improved plant and animal varieties and find more effective ways of 
cultivating land or feeding cattle; monito rs the effects of pesticides and 
other farming methods with a view to ensuring the protection of human 
health. 1,146,940.00 MIDA-IDIAP  
  G/AG/N/PAN/19 
Page 4 Measure type Name and description of measure with reference to criteria in Annex 2 Monetary value of measure 
in year in question 
(B) Data source 
1 2 3 4 
 Programme to modernize and stre ngthen regions and outreach agencies  
Provision of supplementary audiovisual  and other equipment as a support 
for producer training geared towards strengthening their technical skills, 
knowledge and use of technology, w ith a view to modernizing their 
agricultural activities.  Includes crop-zoning programmes for better use of natural resources. 464,628.00 MIDA-DPS 
Inspection, health, safety, standardization, 
etc. Inspection, health, standardization and integrated pest management 
programmes  
Measures geared towards maintaining and improving the phytosanitary 
conditions of specific areas with coordinated diagnosis, trapping, 
surveying, sampling, discussion and assessment activities.  Provision of 
toxic waste laboratory services and assistance with traceability systems 
for agriculture and livestock production. 392,880.00 MIDA-DPS 
Marketing, promotion and market 
information services Trade information service programme :  Agricultural Marketing Institute  
Conducts surveys to collect national production data by product and by 
sector, and provides information on international prices and general 
marketing conditions to other agricultural marketing boards and the 
general public. 1,174,509.00 MIDA-IMA 
 Promotion programmes:  Agricultural Marketing Institute  
Modernization of the Open fairs programme to improve producers' direct marketing of agricultural production,  providing access to points of sale, 
collection centres (stall awnings, shelve s, freezers, scale weights, vehicles, 
lorries, lifting devices, etc.) and agro-industrial services (storage, drying, milling, packing, etc.). 785,243.00 MIDA-IMA 
Infrastructure services (irrigation, dams/ 
reservoirs, environmental programmes, roads, etc.) Production road programme
 
Rehabilitation of rural roads in nati onal agricultural areas, with the 
construction of ditches and roads a nd spraying of selected materials. 2,153,430.00 MIDA-DPS 
 Irrigation programmes  
Modernization of irrigation infras tructure, including construction, 
rehabilitation, maintenance and repa ir of hydraulic structures and 
conduits, and acquisition of pumping equipment for irrigation systems for 
public use.  Also includes funding of irrigation works Barú, Tonosí and Remigio Rojas. 28,661,111.00 MIDA-DPS 
 Rehabilitation of other infrastructure
 
Rehabilitation and equipping of public infrastructure with a view to 
providing producer support, e.g. processing plants for training in agro-
industrial techniques, silos, cold-storage plants and reproduction of 
genetic material for distribution to producers.  Equipping and adaptation 
of seed laboratories and quality c ontrols.  Repair and equipping of 
National Institute of Agriculture aqu aculture stations and infrastructure. 1,053,859.00 MIDA-DPS  
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 Page 5Measure type Name and description of measure with reference to criteria in Annex 2 Monetary value of measure 
in year in question 
(B) Data source 
1 2 3 4 
(f) Payments for relief from natural 
disasters  Special Contingency Credit Fund (Law No. 24 ) 
Financial assistance programme providing credit at preferential interest rates to agricultural producers affected  by adverse weather conditions and 
other contingencies. 1,624,926.00 MIDA-FECC 
 Other support payments for loss of production through natural disasters  
Banana producers compensated for loss of plantations due to hurricane-
strength winds. 181,486.00 MIDA-OPC 
(i) Structural adjustment assistance 
provided through investment aids Cattle improvement programme  
Large-scale bovine breeding stock replacement scheme to accelerate 
improvement of herd productive capac ity and boost competitiveness in 
domestic and international markets. 903,942.00 MIDA-DPS 
 Agricultural processing programme (Law No. 25 ) 
Direct support for investment in technology and soft loans for agricultural processing with a view to overcoming structural deficiencies in the 
relevant production chain. 2,898,972.00 MIDA-OTA 
 Agricultural competitiveness programme
 
Management of resources through a trust for direct support at a percentage 
of the investment the producer makes with bank or cooperative financing, 
with a view to increasing productivit y and competitiveness of agricultural 
activities in order to consolidate existing agricultural production.  
Investment assistance and support g eared towards the use of private 
specialized technical services that  generate technological changes, 
improvements to the marketing of agricultural produce and business management for agricultural producers.  Includes risk-management 
support through insurance for producing hectares and other 
vulnerabilities. 1,333,722.00 MIDA-OPC 
Prepared by the Trade Policy Office (OPC) of the Ministry of Agricultura l Development (MIDA) on the basis of information suppli ed by the following bodies:  Sectoral Planning Directorate (DPS), Agricultural 
Processing Office (OTA, Law No. 25), Office for the Special Con tingency Credit Fund (FECC, Law No. 24), Agricultural Research I nstitute (IDIAP), Agricultu ral Insurance Institute (ISA) and Agricultural 
Marketing Institute (IMA). 
(1) General Services:  Refers to the actual annual operating budget in balboas registered by Panama's Financial Administration Sys tem in the fiscal year 2007. 
Note :  Details of other components refer to the investment budget in balboas, as implemente d in the fiscal year 2007 by programme a nd sub-project. 
Exchange rate:  1 US dollar = 1 Panamanian balboa (B).  
  G/AG/N/PAN/19 
Page 6 Supporting Table DS:2 
DOMESTIC SUPPORT:  Panama  
REPORTING PERIOD:  2007 
Measures Exempt from the Reduction Commitment – Speci al and Differential Treatment – "Development Programmes" 
 
Measure type Name and descript ion of measure with reference 
to criteria in Article 6.2 Monetary value of measure  
in year in question 
(B) Data source 
1 2 3 4 
Investment subsidies generally available to 
agriculture Agricultural credit and loan pr ogramme:  Generally available 
loans to small-scale producers with an annual income not 
exceeding US$100,000.  The pr ogramme funds the banking 
system's loan portfolio in orde r to extend softer loans to the 
agricultural sector. 13,272,426.95 Banking Supervisory Authority:  Special 
Interest Compensation Fund (FECI) 
Prepared by the National Directorate for the Administration of International Trade Treaties and Trade Protection (DINATRADEC) o f the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MICI) on the basis of information 
supplied by the Banking Supervisory Authority. 
Note : Exchange rate:  1 US dollar = 1 Panamanian balboa (B). 
  
   G/AG/N/PAN/19
 Page 7Supporting Table DS:4 
DOMESTIC SUPPORT:  Panama 
 
REPORTING PERIOD:  2007 
 
Calculation of the Current Total Aggregate Measurement of Support 
 
Description of basic products (including 
non-product-specific AMS) Product-specific AMS (from Supporting 
Tables DS:5 to DS:7 below) 
(B) Product-specific measurements of support (from 
Supporting Table DS:8 below) Current Total AMS (aggregate) 
 
(B) 
1 2 3 4 
Industrial tomatoes 365,570.27 - " de minimis "(1) 
    
Prepared by the Trade Policy Offi ce (OPC) of the Ministry of Ag ricultural Development (MIDA). 
(1) The total gross value of industrial tomato producti on in 2007 amounted to B 13,666,427.00 at market prices. 
Note :  Exchange rate:  1 US dolla r = 1 Panamanian balboa (B).  
  G/AG/N/PAN/19 
Page 8 Supporting Table DS:6 
DOMESTIC SUPPORT:  Panama 
 
REPORTING PERIOD:  2007 
 
Product-Specific Aggregate Measurements of  Support:  Non-Exempt Direct Payments 
 
Description 
of basic 
products Calendar 
year 2007 Measure 
type(s) Applied 
administered 
price External 
reference 
price Production eligible to 
receive the applied 
administered price 
(kilos) Total price-
related direct 
payments 
(B) Other non-
exempt direct 
payments 
(B) Associated 
fees/levies Total direct 
payments 
 
(B) Data source 
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
((4-5)*6) 8 9 10 
(7+8-9) 11 
Industrial 
tomatoes(1)  Direct 
payment 
for price 
differential   11,213,810.00 365,570.27   365,570.27 MIDA-OPC 
Prepared by the Trade Policy Offi ce (OPC) of the Ministry of Ag ricultural Development (MIDA). 
(1) A budgetary outlay of B 365,570.27 is the result of price support per kilo corresponding to the difference between the referen ce price (B 0.1190 per kilo), agreed upon by producers as a price for their crops, 
and the price paid by processing industri es for production purchased (B 0.0864 per kilo), i.e. budgetary outlays for support ar e given on the basis of B 0.0326 per kilo of  tomatoes delivered to the industries. 
 
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