Category: commodity

Fairtrade banana crisis brewing in Colombia | Banana Link

Reefer Trends reports on the crisis in the Colombian industry,

‘In the last few weeks the crisis has started to bite and producers have had to choose between paying workers their full wages and benefits or applying inputs.’

This is the stark assessment made by NGO Banana Link in describing the situation of the banana industry in Colombia. Despite being at the top end of the scale in terms of compliance with core ethical standards such as freedom of association, living wages, stable employment contracts and decent working conditions and despite enjoying the best industrial relations in the Latin America banana sector the industry in crisis. This is because producers sell their fruit in US dollars and pay nearly all their costs in Colombian pesos. The report says that an ‘uncompensated 6.5% rise in the peso’s value against the dollar over the last 12 months, coupled with serious climatic disruption at the end of 2011 and into 2012, has meant increased costs to all producers.’ This has created a highly volatile situation in one of the world’s most violent regions.

via Fairtrade banana crisis brewing in Colombia | Banana Link.

Bloody Labour | Banana Link

[vimeo 40941834 w=500 h=281]

Bloody Labour from Banana Link on Vimeo.

In this interview, Noè Ramírez of banana workers’ union SITRABI speaks about the violation of labour rights in Guatemala and the murder of trade union activists. Noè’s brother, Marco Tulio Ramírez, also a SITRABI union leader, was murdered in October 2007. He describes efforts to improve workers’ rights and condition at plantations on the south coast of Guatemala, where they are hoping to replicate SITRABI’s successes in Izabal.

via Bloody Labour | Banana Link.

Banana: Source : UNCTAD secretariat based on data from FAO

Bananas are the main fruit in international trade and the most popular one in the world. In terms of volume they are the first exported fruit, while they rank second after citrus fruit in terms of value. Banana is a very delicate commodity on economic, social, environmental and political grounds. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Statistics estimations, world total exports of banana accounted for 16,8 million tonnes in 2006. Bananas are also a very important staple commodity for many developing countries, together with wheat, rice or corn, hence the relevance of bananas for food security. Some of the main banana producing countries, such as India or Brazil, are hardly involved in international trade. In fact, only about one fifth of total banana production is internationally traded . Nevertheless, the share of banana trade in world banana production increased slightly in the last decades (from around 18% in the sixties and seventies to over 22% in the 1990s and 2000s). The international banana market shows a highly regional character.

via Banana.

Japan Bans Bananas: From the Annals of Government Stupidity – Forbes

Under the new rules, the limit for general foodstuffs such as fruit, vegetables, rice, seafood and meat is 100 becquerels of radiation per kilogram, down from 500 prior to April 1. The limit for milk, baby food and infant formula is 50 becquerels per kilogram. For drinking water and tea leaves, it is 10 becquerels per kilogram.

The ministry said local municipalities will be responsible for carrying out testing and that any item measuring above the set standard will not be permitted to be sold.

The problem is that bananas are naturally radioactive. One banana has perhaps 15 Bq, there are usually more than 6 or 7 bananas to a kilo of them and thus a kilo of bananas has more than 100 Bq. And as for Brazil nuts, these are actually so radioactive that if you take them into a nuclear installation you cannot take them out again. They’re too radioactive, go over the limits for what a nuclear installation is allowed to release into the environment. It is possible that this nuts story is apocryphal of course but I wouldn’t bet against it being true.

via Japan Bans Bananas: From the Annals of Government Stupidity – Forbes.

$170-M Banana Exports to Iran Secure

By MIGUEL JAIME G. ONGPIN

October 31, 2010, 5:14pm

TEHRAN, Iran – The government of Iran said over the weekend that the Philippines’ $170-million banana export contracts with the Islamic republic is secure and will not be cancelled due to Manila’s alliance with Washington.

Iran’s Minister of Commerce Dr. Mahdi Ghazanfari denied reports appearing in Manila newspapers last month that the Philippines’ banana export contract with Iran may be cancelled.

The Minister of Commerce issued the statement during the 17th Press and News Agencies Festival held here with 247 participants from the academe and media from 48 countries.

Responding to a question related to trade sanctions and exports, Dr. Ghazanfari said that if four waves of “unfair and unjust” sanctions had failed to adversely affect Iran, then there was no reason to cancel any of its existing import or export contracts.

He said that gone are the days of the Cold War when smaller states were dependent on superpowers, adding that in this new era of globalization, buyers need only to find suppliers and arrive at a mutually agreeable price.

“In the year 2009, our exports to your country were worth $250 million; and in the same year, we had imports of $130 million from your country. You can be sure that there is no limitation for expanding our trade,” Ghazanfari said.

Backyard permits urged to stop banana disease

The Australian Banana Growers Council is urging backyard banana growers to get a permit to help stop the spread of bunchy top disease.

National program coordinator David Peasley says commercial crops from Byron Bay to Cooroy are monitored closely for the disease but backyard growers can unwittingly pass it on if they give their plants away.

The disease is spread by aphids, and stunts plants and deforms bunches.   Link to rest of story;

Panama Banana Blight Harmless to Humans (in one sense…)

Panama Banana Blight Harmless to Humans
(But really? Is it? Doesn’t it threaten the viability of a staple crop?)

Local administrations in Haikou have opened ports to facilitate banana business and avoid more losses, after news that “banana cancer” swept most parts of China. As the rumor of the “Panama Disease” outbreak in banana plantations gradually quiets down, the local government has decided to give a 300-yuan subsidy [USD 37.5] for each banana truckload in an attempt to boost fruit sales and reduce losses suffered by local banana planters. Continue reading Panama Banana Blight Harmless to Humans (in one sense…)