Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

64 Les productions bananières / Bananas and food security – Session 1
Table 6. Plantain productivity during the period 1989–1993.
Area Area planted (ha) Yields (tons/ha) National production (tons)
1989 83 850 10.9 913 965
1990 90 000 10.8 972 000
1991 92 190 9.0 829 710
1992 95 970 9.2 881 924
1993 88 550 8.6 761 530
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC) (Report 1993).
The plantain production is generally “extensive”, i.e. with very limited technology
regarding cultural practices; weeding and desuckering (three or four times per year); no
irrigation, nor fertilisation; very bad sanitary conditions of the rhizomes and roots due to
the attacks by the weevil borer Cosmopolites sordidus and nematodes.
As a natural consequence of these cultivation conditions, the productivity is low, and
is also influenced by the low planting density (700-1000 plants/ha). An important part of
plantains grows in association with cacao.
Finally, the plantain plantations have a limited duration, which generally does not
exceed four years. At the end of this period plantains are substituted by other crops or
partially renewed.
Nearly 1000 ha under plantains represent the exception to the conditions described
above. These plantations were established in 1995 using high technical level criteria
with regard to planting densities, fertilisation, irrigation (sprinkling or localised drip
irrigation) during the dry season. The majority of these plantations are in association
with highly yielding clones of cacao (2-3 tons/ha/year of dry cacao). Some of these
plantations are situated near Guayaquil, in dry forest climatic zone, where artificial
irrigation is applied. Because of the mentioned climatic condition, the sector is
distinguished by the absence of Mycosphaerella fijiensis (black Sigatoka), which
contributes to the good quality of the production.
Almost the total plantain production is represented by the varieties denominated
“Dominico” (French Plantain) and, to a minor extent, “Barraganete” (Horn Plantain).
The plantations are dispersed throughout the littoral region, and they are generally
smaller than five hectares.
The exception to this condition is the El Carmen-Santo Domingo sector in the northeast
of the littoral region, with 4000 ha of “Dominico” and 8000 ha of “Barraganete”. In
this region, the production of “Dominico” is dedicated to the internal consumption
within the sector and the north of the interandean region. The production of
“Barraganete” covers more than 95% of exported plantains (to USA and south of
Colombia) and constitutes an important factor for the economy of the El Carmen
population, a production and processing centre of export plantains.
About 40,000 boxes of 22.5 kg are processed weekly for export to USA and
40,000 bunches are transported to the south of Colombia by trucks, with a capacity
varying from 20 to 40 tons.