Marrakech – Morocco will donate 1,000 tons of fertilizers to Panama to support the Central American country’s agricultural sector, Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha announced during a weekly press conference on Thursday.
According to Panamanian media, the donation comes at a critical time as global fertilizer prices have surged sharply due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and instability around the Strait of Hormuz. Urea prices reached $590 per ton after climbing more than $100 in just four weeks, with disruptions to key trade routes driving costs higher across international markets.
Panama’s Ambassador to Morocco, Isbeth Quiel, said the shipment has no confirmed arrival date yet. She cited weather-related logistics delays in Morocco as the main reason for the holdup.
“We still do not have a specific date for the receipt of the donation in Panama, due to a delay caused by weather conditions in Morocco, which has affected the logistics operation,” Quiel told Panamanian newspaper La Estrella de Panamá. She added that the delays have affected shipments to other countries as well.
The ambassador estimated the delivery could take between 30 and 45 days, noting that Moroccan authorities will notify Panama ahead of the ship’s departure.
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The donation stems from a cooperation roadmap signed by the two countries’ foreign ministers in June 2025, which lists agricultural collaboration as a bilateral priority. Panama’s Agriculture Minister Roberto Linares visited Morocco in January to formalize the arrangement.
Through the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI), the donation will be made on an annual basis. AMCI will also provide technical assistance to Panama in developing a soil fertility map to improve national agricultural planning.
Panama’s Agriculture Ministry (MIDA) said the fertilizers will go primarily to small-scale farmers. Linares indicated the ministry is working on a distribution mechanism to ensure the supplies reach those most in need.
“What I can guarantee is that this is a fertilizer that will be donated to the small producer,” Linares said.
This is not the first such donation. In 2014, Morocco sent 3,000 tons of NPK fertilizer to Panama under a similar cooperation framework. That shipment, valued at $4 million, was later marred by logistics failures that led to nearly $1 million in port storage debts and investigations into alleged embezzlement, as the cargo never reached farmers.
Martínez-Acha said the current initiative reflects an interinstitutional effort between the foreign ministry and MIDA to ensure transparency and direct delivery to producers.
