Bill 133.

Summary.

The bill adds a chapter on production and marketing to Law 46 of 1999. The Panamanian Food Authority (Autoridad Panameña de Alimentos) would establish a quality certification system for honey produced in the country, including laboratory tests for purity and the absence of chemical residues and adulterants. Producers would have to undergo annual inspection and certification to market honey under certified quality labels. The Ministry of Agricultural Development (Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario, MIDA) would work with beekeepers to promote measures encouraging sustainable production, including organic beekeeping and responsible environmental management.

MIDA and the Institute of Agricultural Innovation of Panama (IDIAP) would develop technical training on production, hive management, disease prevention, extraction, and processing. The programs would be free for small and medium beekeepers and would address good beekeeping practices and environmental conservation. The Ministry of Commerce and Industries (Ministerio de Comercio e Industrias) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores), in coordination with the Agricultural Marketing Institute (Instituto de Mercadeo Agropecuario), would promote Panamanian honey abroad through trade fairs, marketing campaigns, and partnerships. The bill also provides for single windows and digital processes for honey exports. The Ministry of Commerce and Industries would advise beekeepers and exporters on market requirements, documents, and laboratory services. MIDA, the Panamanian Autonomous Cooperative Institute (INSTITUTO PANAMEÑO AUTONOMO COOPERATIVO), and beekeepers would encourage cooperatives and other associations to facilitate credit, technical advice, and the sale of honey and its derivatives.

In the research chapter, IDIAP would allocate resources, in coordination with universities and research centers, to production techniques, honey derived products, and protection of bees against diseases and predators. Applied research directly affecting honey production and quality would receive priority. MIDA and institutions with related agricultural and commercial objectives would encourage technologies for extraction, processing, packaging, and marketing, as well as financing and technical support for small and medium beekeeping enterprises.

The bill provides for the designation of Beekeeping Conservation Zones in areas suited to protecting bees and producing high quality honey. In those zones, it would prohibit pesticides and agricultural chemicals harmful to bees and promote farming practices supporting pollination, biodiversity, and reforestation with native tree species. MIDA would set the criteria for designating the zones. The Ministry of Environment (Ministerio de Ambiente), MIDA, and the Ministry of Education (Ministerio de Educación) would conduct educational programs in schools, rural communities, and among farmers. The Beekeepers’ Association (Asociación de Productores Apícolas) and MIDA would perform periodic quality controls. Regular, unannounced inspections would cover conservation zones and certified producers; producers would keep production, processing, and sales records for review.

Finally, the bill amends Article 24 of Law 46 of 1999: the Executive Branch (Órgano Ejecutivo) would issue implementing regulations within six months of promulgation, and the entities involved would coordinate implementation. The proposed law would take effect ninety (90) days after promulgation. Its provisions could concern the named public bodies, beekeepers, exporters, beekeeping businesses, farmers, research centers, schools, and rural communities.