Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

Amérique Latine - Caraïbes / Latin America - Caribbean : L. Tazán and G. T. de Coto
decrease in production due to partial soil saturation and deterioration of the intrinsic
fruit quality in more than 25,000 ha. The consequence of this impact is the decrease in
the export volumes that became evident from May on and it is expected to continue up to
the end of the year, forecasting that a reactivation to normal levels would take place
during next year.
Table 3 shows export figures for the period January-May 1997-1998, and allows to
assess the extent of the effect over the export volumes.
Table 3. Banana export volumes from January to May during 1997 and 1998 (in
metric tons).
Months 1997 1998 Evolution (%)
January 378 168 361 140 -3.5
February 341 100 346 005 +1.0
March 422 982 374 363 -11.0
April 440 069 352 216 -20.0
May 401 494 284 902 -29.0
Banana marketing
Export
The export system is based on quotas, fixed beforehand, and on the “official price”
established by the government which varies between the denominated “high season”
(January-May) and “low season” (June-December). During 1998, the net prices of the
fruit were $4.25 and $3.35 for a 20 kg box respectively. The export companies cover the
costs of boxes and packing materials, plastics and chemical products.
Profitability
The profitability is variable since some plantations yield 3000 box/ha/year and others
hardly exceed 1500 box/ha/year. The financial and operational costs are higher in the
first case. Small plantations are generally old (more than 20 years of existence) and,
even if they have low productivity, the owners do not have to cover anymore the costs of
the establishment of the plantation. Furthermore, their operational costs (crop
management) per hectare and per year are low. The total cost for a producer to put a box
of fruit at the dock varies as follows:
$US
Harvest 0.12 – 0.15
Packing 0.12 – 0.15
Transport 0.15 – 0.30
Total 0.39 – 0.60
Domestic market
The domestic consumption is exclusively based on export surplus. The fruit supply for
this purpose is performed on the packing plants during “cutting days” for export, as well
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