Florentino Ábrego assumes presidency of Panama's rice millers association

Florentino "Tino" Ábrego has officially taken the helm as the new president of the National Association of Rice Millers (Analmo) in Panama, vowing to bolster the strategic importance of the rice agroindustry. His leadership for the 2026-2027 term is focused on reinforcing the sector's contribution to food security, economic growth, and national sustainability.

The new board, elected during the Ordinary General Assembly in Santiago de Veraguas, includes Raúl Palacios as vice president, Ivanna Quintero as secretary, Olmedo Moreno as treasurer, and John Charles, Alejandro Girlando, and María Isabel de Anguizola as members. Ábrego expressed gratitude for the trust placed in him by the association's members, acknowledging Analmo's five-decade legacy as a benchmark in Panama's agroindustrial sector.

“

I receive this responsibility with deep gratitude and humility. I thank the trust that the ANALMO membership has placed in me to lead this organization that has been a benchmark of the Panamanian agroindustrial sector. I assume this commitment with the firm conviction of working hand-in-hand with our associates, authorities, and all actors in the Rice Agro-Food Chain to continue strengthening an essential industry for the sustenance of millions of Panamanians.

"I receive this responsibility with deep gratitude and humility," Ábrego stated. "I assume this commitment with the firm conviction of working hand-in-hand with our associates, authorities, and all actors in the Rice Agro-Food Chain to continue strengthening an essential industry for the sustenance of millions of Panamanians."

“

We must continue to face, with resilience, the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, combat rice smuggling that so harms formal production, maintain permanent monitoring of national inventories, and evaluate, when conditions require it, complementary imports that guarantee the supply of the national market without endangering Panamanian production. Our commitment is to protect the food security of all Panamanians through responsible, technical, and timely decisions.

Ábrego highlighted that his tenure begins amidst significant challenges, demanding strategic vision and coordinated responses. He emphasized the need for resilience in facing the effects of El Niño, actively combating rice smuggling that harms formal production, maintaining vigilant monitoring of national inventories, and evaluating necessary complementary imports to ensure market supply without compromising domestic production. "Our commitment is to protect the food security of all Panamanians through responsible, technical, and timely decisions," he added.

The new president underscored the rice agroindustry's vital role in Panama's economy, generating employment, driving production across various regions, and securing the supply of the nation's staple food. "Defending this industry means defending food security, the country's economic stability, and the sustainable development of our communities," Ábrego concluded, pledging Analmo's continued commitment to responsible dialogue and firm action.

“

The rice agroindustry deserves to be recognized as a strategic sector for Panama. Behind every grain of rice there is a value chain that generates investment, employment, regional development, innovation, and well-being for thousands of families. Defending this industry means defending food security, the country's economic stability, and the sustainable development of our communities. From ANALMO we will continue working with responsibility, openness to dialogue, and firmness to ensure that this...