According to the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF), US exports to Panama have already significantly exceeded tariff quotas set in the US-Panama Trade Facilitation Agreement.

The export of pork to Panama exceeded the 130 percent quota of the tariff rate, and in connection with this, Panama took some protective measures. From April 1, 2019, Panama introduced higher tariffs for some products from US pork, which will be valid until 2020. The tariff rate for American pork, as before, remains at zero level.

Gerardo Rodriguez, USMEF's regional marketing director for Mexico, Central America, and the Dominican Republic, said that while a higher tariff rate would certainly have some negative effect on exports to Panama, he expects demand to withstand the rate increase well enough.

Rodriguez also noted that USMEF is positioning American pork as a universal product that provides excellent value for its Panamanian customer base. This is true for all of Central America, where six of the seven countries in the region are currently in the top 20 markets for American pork, and in 2018, product exports achieved double-digit growth in almost all of these markets.

Last year, pork exports from the United States to Central America were record high, amounting to 86,031 metric tons worth more than $ 200 million. In February 2019, exports to the region were 16 percent higher than last year's growth rates and 12 percent higher in value terms.

Exports to Panama accelerated at an even faster pace, up 66 percent in volume and 45 percent from a year earlier.