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33m ago

Panama, Chiquita Seal $30 Million Deal to Restart Banana Operations, Rehire 5,000

Government mediation produced a deal to rebuild production in Bocas del Toro.

A Company logo is seen in Changuinola, Panama, May 24, 2025. REUTERS/Enea Lebrun/File Photo
FILE - Chiquita brand bananas are for sale at a grocery store in Zelienople, Pa., Sept. 10, 2014. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Chiquita closed its Changuinola plant in the Caribbean province of Bocas del Toro at the end of May and laid off 6,000 workers after a strike over pension reforms that crippled production for weeks

Overview

  • President José Raúl Mulino and Chiquita executives signed the agreement Friday in Brasilia to restore the company’s Panama operations.
  • Chiquita committed $30 million to resume production across 5,000 hectares with a target of full operations by February 2026.
  • The plan calls for rehiring 5,000 workers in phases, starting with 3,000 for cleanup and agricultural recovery followed by 2,000 for harvesting and packaging.
  • The company had closed its Changuinola plant in May after strikes over pension reforms, laying off more than 6,000 workers and citing losses of at least $75 million.
  • A labor court ruled the strike illegal, and bananas accounted for more than 17% of Panama’s exports in the first quarter of 2025.