Eating banana is simple, producing it is very complex

Santo Dominican—The Banana situation has worsened due to government debts for compensation for damages caused by atmospheric phenomena and the presence of a mite.

When Jérémie Martin, 26, sits down early in the morning at her table in Marseille, France, for breakfast, she never misses a banana, which she eats daily to cover her body’s needs for potassium, carbohydrates, and fat. She does it very simply: she peels the fruit and enjoys it.

She has not become aware of the complexities faced by the producer to produce it, nor is she concerned about the possibility that soon the banana, which is now imported from the Dominican Republic, may change its origin due to the deterioration in the competitiveness of local production, a change that, if it occurs, will be felt on the palate.

The problem with bananas, as with other fruits, is that consumers are demanding lower and lower prices, but costs are increasing. In the case of the Dominican Republic, the situation has worsened due to outstanding debts of the Government for compensation for damages caused by atmospheric phenomena and the presence of a mite, which has not attacked other competing countries to the extent that it has done in the Dominican Republic, which is attributed to climatic conditions in the country.

President Luis Abinader has just created, through decree number 62-24, the Dominican Plantain Commission (Codoplátano) as an inter-ministerial commission, which will jointly support the agricultural sector dedicated to the production and commercialization of plantains.

The commission will also advise the President in developing public policies to promote its cultivation, production, marketing, processing, and export.

Hopefully, taking into account the importance of this product as a generator of foreign exchange and jobs, this commission will propose comprehensive solutions that will reverse the bad moment that the production of this fruit is going through and that the proposed measures will be implemented.

It is estimated that total banana exports amounted to 62.99 million banana boxes in 2023, while in 2022, they totaled 63.99 million boxes, for a decrease of only 0.26 percent.

Dominican banana exports are below 200 containers per week, experiencing a more than 50% decrease.

The conclusion these figures lead to is simple: other competitors in the market are eating our candy.