Banana producers analyze stoppage of activities

The banana producers assure that their situation is increasingly unsustainable . For 16 weeks they have been receiving between $ 2 and $ 5 for the 41.5 pound box of bananas, when the minimum support price is $ 6.40. For this reason, they analyze a cessation of their activities next week with the aim that the authorities take measures and listen to their requests.

Banana producers analyze stoppage of activities

The health crisis due to the pandemic by covid-19 envelops them in a social, economic and political crisis . However, the agricultural sector never stopped working, it did not have a quarantine.

Byron Paredes Monteros, president of the Association of Banana Producers of Ecuador (Aprobanec), stated that there is an archaic marketing policy that attacks producers and robs the country in general. He stated that “a paralysis of the musaceae sector is not ruled out, the situation we are experiencing is terrible”.

Paredes indicated that the informal ones affect not only the farmers but also their colleagues, the people and a nation. They generate unfair competition for those who do comply with support prices. “In international markets, the price of fruit remains and exports increase. Only in this first semester we grew by around 10% in relation to 2019; and still we don’t get fair prices. ”

The producer assured that the lack of public policies affects, above all, small and medium producers; Furthermore, it hurts the local and national economy.

According to figures from the producing sector , in this period the losses are around $ 400 million, since 35% of the banana consumed in the world is produced in Ecuador.

The statements were made during the 4th Meeting of Peoples and Organizations for a Productive and Corruptionless Ecuador , which aims to call for unity in all sectors of the country, to turn Ecuador into a world power producer of healthy food . ( I )