Visiting the Farm in Panama…

In June of 2019, I made another trip to Panama, this time to spend time on the Simply Natural plantations to inspect the crops, tour the greenhouses and receive a demonstration of the SupPlant irrigation system from one of the agronomists.

On the 21st I was up at the crack of dawn for the three-hour drive to Penonomé and spent the day visiting the Simply Natural Los Olivos and Guzman fincas in Coclé province, west of Panama City.  What an amazing operation.

I started buying farmland in Panama in 2015 through my self-directed IRA.  Above, I’m standing with one of my approximately 500 mango trees.  The tree had already been harvested once and underwent a final harvest a few weeks after this photo was taken when the last of the mangos ripened.

Mango trees have a productive life of 60-80 years, so I’ll be harvesting a lot of mangos!  This tree is only 4 years old and within a couple of years, my two hectares of trees will be producing around 80 tons of mangos per year.

This is a flower on one of my 4-yr old lime trees that stands about 6 feet high.  The tree won’t be allowed to grow much taller than 8 feet, which makes it easy to prune and harvest.  Limes are ever-bearing and harvested year-round; about every 2-3 weeks.  Just above and to the left of the bee is a teeny-tiny lime.  Each tree will yield about 900 limes per year… an essential ingredient for Margaritas!

In addition to the organic lime, avocado and mango plots, I also own two acres of row crops — plantains, bananas and pineapples that are raised for domestic consumption and sold primarily to retailers and the central market in Panama City.

I love Panama.  In fact, until I met my now wife in 2015, I was planning on moving there once I retired.  I have a permanent residency visa, which is very handy when arriving at Tocumen airport since I can go through the same immigration line as airline personnel; sort of like having Global Entry for returning to the U.S.

Read related: Renewing My Global Entry Card

The Panamanian people are friendly and genuine and getting around the country is very easy.  The Pan-American Highway, the primary East-West artery, runs from Costa Rica to the Darien Province on the border with Columbia.  COPA Airlines and Air Panama offer flights around the country.  Getting to Panama City from the Tampa area is easy since there are daily non-stops offered by COPA.

I can’t wait for the world to get back to normal so I can return!

Update:  I am returning to Panama in mid-May of 2021 and can’t wait!  I got my vaccine jabs and looking forward to getting back to the Simply Natural farms.

I will be spending a few days in Penonomé talking to the folks at the farm field office and then going to each of the four plantations in the area.  I will be sure to post a write-up of my experiences along with some pictures.  Stay tuned!

Brian

As an avid traveler, Brian has explored and enjoyed cultural encounters in over 40 countries while spending many years refining The Points Game — using credit card sign-up bonuses and other tricks to get nearly free travel.  Getting the most out of every trip is an art and Brian launched My Travel Traxx to help others enjoy the art of travel.