Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

Amérique Latine - Caraïbes / Latin America - Caribbean : J. Surga et al.
Caractérisation de la production
et de la commercialisation
des Musa au Venezuela
José Surga, A. Bolivar and L.V. Trujillo
Abstract – Characterisation of Musa production and commercialisation in
Venezuela
This experience was performed in order to characterise the production and commercialisation
of bananas and plantains in Venezuela. It was done in the most representative
States of the country. The methodological strategy was based on the descriptive analysis
of the agricultural exploitation systems of bananas and plantains (according to Ghersi
1994). Data were obtained through three main sources of information: producers,
technicians and grower associations. Surveys and interviews were performed. In each
selected state, most important limitations were identified. These are: the disappearance
of middle and small banana producers due to lack of money to control black Sigatoka,
difficulty in fruit postharvesting (with losses up to 40%), plenty of middlemen in the
commercialisation of fruits, lack of technical support, weak level of tradition in fruit
exportation (bananas and plantains) and bad agricultural roads. Growers with the highest
technical levels and productivity are located in Aragua State (bananas) and South to the
Maracaibo Lake (plantain). Official data, in general, were not reliable, and it is
recommended to perform more detailed studies on the diagnosis of technical demand in
all the zones, with the effective participation of producers, technicians and grower
associations.
Résumé
Cette expérience a pour objectif de caractériser la production et la commercialisation des
Musa au Venezuela. Elle est basée sur les états les plus représentatifs du pays. La méthodologie
s’appuie sur l’analyse descriptive des systèmes d’exploitation agricole bananiers
(d’après Ghersi 1994) ; la collecte des données est basée sur trois sources principales
d’information : les agriculteurs, les techniciens et les associations de producteurs et s’est
réalisée au travers d’enquêtes et d’entretiens. Pour chaque état choisi, on a identifié les
principaux problèmes à savoir : le manque de ressources pour lutter contre la cercosporiose
noire qui entraîne la disparition des petits et moyens producteurs, la difficulté de la
gestion des fruits récoltés (perte pouvant atteindre 40 %), l’abondance d’intermédiaires
CENIAP-FONAIAP, Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela.
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