This study examines the structural interdependence of the meat and fish canning sector, within the Panamanian economy, employing the Leontief open demand model based on the input-output matrix constructed using supply and use tables from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), 2023. The central objective is to quantify the sector’s backward and forward linkages, as well as to identify their functional typology within the national production system. Methodologically, the intermediate demand matrix, the technical coefficient matrix, the inverse Leontief matrix, direct and indirect effects, and Rasmussen indices were constructed and analyzed. The results reveal that animal husbandry, constitutes the sector’s main direct input, with a technical coefficient of 0.3236, reflecting a significant dependence on national livestock production. According to Rasmussen’s indices, the sector exhibits a dispersion power (BL) of 1.1526, greater than one, and a dispersion sensitivity (FL) of 0.8106, classifying it as a driver or engine with a high capacity for backward pull in the production chain, but with a low impact as a supplier. These findings have direct implications for the design of policies related to production linkages, import substitution, and agro-industrial development in Panama.
