Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

Amérique Latine - Caraïbes / Latin America - Caribbean : M. Cortès et al.
597
production during certain periods (45.5%), and quality control (2.2%). Eighty percent of
the producers would like to market their products through distributors. During the
periods of shortage, only 24% of growers wanted to market their products through
distributors.
Eighty percent of the interviewed were willing to pack their products in order to satisfy
the buyers’ demands. Eighty eight percent were ready to classify their product according
to its size and quality level. About 61.5% of growers were ready to stop selling low quality
products in order to maintain appropriate prices for good quality products. Only a third
part (35%) of the interviewed had storage facilities, although not refrigerated. The growers
who had refrigerated facilities were ready to offer packing services to those who did not
have them. Eighty-eight percent were ready to pay a reasonable price for classification and
packing services. Many growers (81%) showed the willingness to associate with others in
order to establish a small or medium size packing plant.
Receptivity of plantain growers
to marketing orders
Several questions were asked to detect the receptivity to follow the marketing order
requirements. The great majority of the interviewed (92.6%) were themselves receptive
to plan in advance planting dates in order to allow a continuous and uniformed flow of
products, avoiding overproduction and shortage during certain periods. Seventy seven
percent were ready to accept the control of the product quality by an inspector on their
farms; of these, 63.5% were ready to pay for these inspections. The majority of the
growers (79%) were ready to finance a program to promote their product, and 82% of
these were inclined to contribute to crop research economically.
Growers were asked some questions related to marketing orders in order to see how
much they knew about them. Only 27% of the interviewed had heard about these orders.
About 90 % wanted more information about this topic and 87 % of them understood the
potential of their product and the necessity to include it in marketing order, if it were
established. The remaining 13% did not want to associate with marketing order. The
interviewed plantain growers understood that through marketing order prices would
increase and stabilise, they also understood that this would favour the marketing of the
product. Ninety-two percent of growers agreed to be part of the marketing order if it
were established in Puerto Rico and 89% were willing to contribute with a quota to pay
the operational expenses of the office from where the order will be issued.
Conclusion
Currently, growers are receiving orientation concerning the establishment of marketing
order in Puerto Rico. Most of them are receptive to receive more information and begin
the establishment of marketing order.