Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

Amérique Latine - Caraïbes / Latin America - Caribbean : M.Cl. Walker Herrera
Table 5. Plantain supply and demand projection in Colombia (tons).
Year Projected
production*
Projected demand** Surplus or deficit
a b c a b c
1982 1 197 500 2 050 600 2 057 600 2 064 800 + 146 900 + 139 900 + 132 700
1983 2 230 400 2 102 500 2 116 800 2 131 700 + 127 900 + 113 600 + 98 700
1984 2 263 900 2 155 700 2 177 800 2 200 800 + 108 200 + 86 100 + 63 100
1985 2 297 800 2 210 200 2 240 500 2 272 100 + 87 600 + 57 300 + 25 700
1986 2 332 300 2 266 100 2 305 100 2 345 700 + 66 200 + 27 200 - 13 400
1987 2 367 300 2 323 500 2 371 500 2 421 700 + 43 800 - 4 200 -54 400
1988 2 402 800 2 382 200 2 439 700 2 500 100 + 20 600 - 36 900 - 97 300
1989 2 438 800 2 442 500 2 510 000 2 581 100 - 3 700 -71 200 - 142 300
1990 2 475 400 2 504 300 2 582 300 2 664 800 - 28 900 - 106 900 - 189 400
1995 2 666 700 2 837 500 2 976 200 3 125 400 - 170 800 - 309 500 - 458 700
2000 2 872 700 3 215 100 3 430 200 3 665 600 - 342 300 - 557 400 - 729 800
Source: Plantain project. Trade group. Initial and bi-weekly report. 27 November 1996.
* An annual increase of 1.5% in area planted is assumed and permanent renewal of the existing area to
maintain the hectareage reported.
** Refers to the three future growth rates of revenues.
Agroecological aspects of the crop
In the characterisation study, six producing regions and 14 agroecosystems were
identified (Analysis unit obtained from the interaction between the biotic component
and the physical component within a regional border.) In the case of plantain, the biotic
component (best use of agricultural and non-agricultural land) has been grouped into
permanent crops (multistrata, permanent arrangements with plantain interplanted) and
semi-permanent crops (arrangements where plantain appears as a pure crop or
intercropped with seasonal crops.)
The Annex 1 shows the agroecosystems and cultivated varieties that are grown in
each of the six national regions into which the country is divided.
Marketing plantain in the central coffee zone
Plantain cultivation in the coffee region of Colombia has historically belonged to the traditional
rural sector. Plantain plants shaded the coffee. For this reason, it is not unusual
that the biggest plantain growers and producers were first and foremost coffee growers.
Therefore, it is important to take into consideration that five departments in the zone,
whose producing areas can be demarcated in the Andean and/or Inter-Andean Valleys,
represent 32% of the area cultivated, accounting for approximately 32% of the national
production. Among these departments, Quindío and Cauca Valley lead production
volume, producing more that 400,000 tons annually each.
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