Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

Amérique Latine - Caraïbes / Latin America - Caribbean : L. Tazán and G. T. de Coto
El Carmen sector
Situated in the north of the littoral near the Andes, El Carmen is the most important
plantain production zone in the country. This sector supplies 99% of the fruit for the
export to USA and to the south of Colombia, as well as for the local consumption in the
north of the interandean region (two million of inhabitants, including the capital of the
country, Quito). It counts with about 12,000 ha, from which 8000 are planted with Horn
Plantain (export) and 4000 with French Plantain (domestic consumption).
El Carmen is located en humid forest region with an average annual rainfall of
2800 mm, 90% of which corresponds to the period January-June. During the rest of the
year, although the precipitation is low, the evapotranspiration values are also low due to
low temperatures, thermal range, which varies from 18 to 24°C, and average solar
brightness of 35 hours per month because of the cold Humboldt Current. The topography
is wavy, and the absence of rivers with constant volume impedes the implementation of
artificial irrigation during the dry season. Due to these factors, there is a reduction in
productivity during the last trimester of the year, in spite of the above-mentioned
decrease of evapotranspiration.
Crop management
Generally, the crop management is basic; in 90% of plantations, it is reduced to cleaning
(weeding and desuckering) each four months; fertilisers are not applied; there is not
pest control (nematodes, C. sordidus) and the plants are highly infested with these
parasites. Plantations are very old with low density and plants are often susceptible to
toppling (due to nematodes and root rot).
The low productivity does not allow the application of chemical treatments for
control of black Sigatoka. However, some farmers apply “sanitary deleafing”, which
consists in periodical elimination (weekly during the rainy season) of necrotic leaves in
order to maintain low levels of inoculum pressure and reduce the virulence of the
disease. In normal rainy conditions, this procedure prevents the severe damage by the
disease and allows the development of normal production conditions, especially for the
fruits to be exported to the United States (Table 5).
In 1998, due to the presence of “El Niño” phenomenon on the coast of Ecuador, the
disease has reached an extraordinary virulence. Due to the absence of chemical
treatments, the quantity of the fruit suitable for export to the American market has
decreased and the local markets have been saturated.
Productivity
The limited cultural practices mentioned above produce low yields, and through the
estimations carried out by the Programa Nacional del Banano y Plátano (National
Banana and Plantain Programme) it was possible to obtain the following figures:
Average production/ha/year
Bunches: 750
Boxes (22.5 kg): 250
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