Alvaro Noboa: “Social Security in the City is Working. Rural Security is Not”

Alvaro-Noboa-

The Ecuadorian banana industry is being affected “by the critical situation in the business (… and) the main victims are coastal farmers and producers,” said today the pre-presidential candidate, Alvaro Noboa.

Noboa claimed that there are many farms that are not affiliating their employees and therefore farmers can not benefit from social security service.

“Social security in the city is working, but the rural social security is not working (…) I ask the competent authorities, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Chief of State, to send inspectors in order to verify the main companies and check with the producers that give fruit to these companies if they are paying the official price. “

Noboa said that the current price that  the local market pays for a box of bananas (2.50 or $ 3) has collapsed the international price.

“In two or three months the Ecuadorian farmer will not have money to fumigate, fertilize, and do agricultural work. How would they pack crates without money? With what money will they transport the fruit? Eventually with the current situation they will have to close the estates. This would cause a massive wave of unemployment in the coastal agricultural area of millions of Ecuadorians who are dedicated to the cultivation of banana (…) This could leave unemployed 2 or 3 million Ecuadorians three-month term. “

Noboa named the following companies as businesses not complying with the regulations of the price of the fruit:

• Banfruit
• Banamex
• Bonita
• Dole
• Chiquita
• Bonanza
• Derby
• Excelban
• Prima Donna
• Reybanpac