Ant Aftermath, Teak Economicsand Human Compost

Delayed Errands

After the Great Ant Event of yesterday, the swelling is all gone and like nothing ever happened. So, off to do what was intended to be done yesterday. First stop was Pueblo Nuevo to deliver the official receipt of their Solicitude (request) for water testing. First time the Water Committee has EVER gotten anything from the government, so they treated it like the Magna Carta.

Nice new plastic seat on composting toilet

Then, up the PanAm (have I mentioned lately how WONDERFUL it is to have the road all paved and smooth?) to picturesque Embera Puru to do a demonstration of the planned Bano upgrades – nice new plastic seat, etc. The sample Bano I chose had a plugged urine drain line, so it was MacGyver Plumbing Co to the rescue – found a nice thin strip of wood that would rotate in the ¾” PVC and roto-rootered it clear.

Lovely daughter confirms compost is "Numero Uno"

Then, we opened up the fully ripened compost chamber. It was funny to watch the family stand WAY back and cover their faces, expecting the worst. But, when I started pulling out the beautiful compost, they were pleasantly surprised. No smell, just a rich organic soil amendment. Folks at Home Depot paying top dollar for this stuff in the US.

Then back to Torti for some shopping and a very interesting lunch conversation.

This is the very nice, odor-free compost that comes out of a composting toilet.
They used rice husks for the drying/aerating material. Sawdust gives a finer texture

New teak plantation. Last year, this was a cattle ranch.

Talkin’ Teak

After a good morning back in the saddle after the Ant Incident, I treated myself to a nice lunch at the only upscale restaurant in Torti. It was delicious as always (tender beef, potatoes in a cheesy sauce and a nice cucumber, tomato, onion salad), but more interesting was the gang at the next table. One of the nicely dressed men come over to me and said in a distinct Texan accent “What part of the States are y’all from?”. Turns out, he was educated (undergrad and Biz School) at Univ of Texas Austin and is the son of one of the local cattle ranchers. Or, more appropriately WAS the son of a cattle rancher. He and his Dad decided to quit the cattle business and turn their 500 hectare ranch (1200 acres) over to the teak cartel.

Now, I understand why so many cattle fields are being planted to teak. The economics are hard to beat : The Teak Cartel charges foreigners $80K for 5 Ha of teak ($16K/Ha). The family will get an up-front signing bonus of about $500K for their land – more money than they could dream of. Plus about $500/Ha/Yr for the next 20 years – about the same as they would make raising cattle – some years less, some more. AND they do NO work – the Cartel foresters handle everything. Then, the teak is harvested. The investors get about $150K (at current prices) return for their $80K after 20 years. I’ll let my finance friends comment on that end of the deal. Except it also comes with Panama Permanent Resident status and the opportunity for Panamanian citizenship in 5 years.

The only thing that could queer the deal for the family is, as Daniel says “Fucking Climate Change”. If there is less rain than expected, the trees may require and extra 5 or 10 years to mature. Which means, they go 5 to 10 years with no income – unless they invest that up-front money wisely. And, they have no guarantee that the Teak deal will still be going in 20 years.

The father is not altogether happy about the deal. I think he really enjoyed riding the range and playing cowboy. Now he will “only sit and watch trees grow – like a farmer”. He spat as he said the word “farmer”. But, he looks about ready to get out of the saddle anyway.

Anyway, a fascinating glimpse into the Teak business and a little better understanding of why teak plantations are being planted like crazy all along the PanAm Hwy in Darien and Torti-Chepo areas.