Dennie QuillTHE DISCOVERY of the Moko disease in Jamaica recently has brought the banana industry into the limelight again. The last time it had so much attention was the period of hysteria in the late 1990s with the United States challenge of the European Union's banana regime which gave preferential treatment to the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) banana, producing countries. Before that it was the discovery in 1995 of the Black Sigatoka disease which had the potential to wipe out the industry. Both of these events, in varying degrees, had something to do with the state of the industry today.
In an article on the therapeutic properties of the banana which I wrote in 1965, I suggested that it was a banana a day that kept the doctor away. I suggested too that it had properties that increased fertility in women and implied that it increased potency in men. I am not suggesting that what followed was influenced in any way by that article but in the following year Jamaica exported a whopping 200,000 tonnes of bananas. I have no figures on what was consumed locally then but the trend has been one of increasing local consumption.
STRUGGLING
One thing is sure. Export of banana has never been that good since. In fact, for the past five or so years we've been struggling around the 40,000 tonnes mark even though we have a quota for twice that amount. Figures like those could tempt us into thinking that the industry is on its way out. Don't you believe it. Twenty years ago in 1984 exports were at a record low of 11,000 tonnes. By 1995 when the Black Sigatoka disease entered the scene exports had climbed to over 85,000 tonnes and seemed to be heading for the then quota on the U.K. market of 105,000 tonnes.
Black Sigatoka should not be held responsible for much of the decline that has led to the present situation as the authorities did an excellent job in controlling it. The cause may more appropriately be attributed to the successful challenge of the European Union's banana regime by the United States and the Latin American banana producers.
STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS
Small local banana growers who were responsible for about a half of export tonnage, faced with more stringent quality requirements and feeling unprepared for the competition from the more efficient Latin producers, opted out of the export trade. The major grower of export fruit, Jamaica Producers, also reduced its acreage under cultivation when, in 2002, it closed down one of its subsidiaries, Victoria Bananas in Clarendon. In addition, it had before that also taken out of production all marginal acreages and concentrated its efforts in producing on only ideal soils in an effort to increase productivity and reduce costs. My information is that they are now very competitive in terms of efficiency and are only limited by the availability of ideal banana lands.
In the meanwhile, what about those small growers? Well, they didn't abandon the industry. They have simply opted to produce for the local market, which does not insist on as strict quality requirements as the export market. And quality here means simply the cosmetic appearance of the fruit. Any blemish like a scar or a freckle reduces the quality for the European market. Here it is a clue to the sweetness of the fruit. As a consequence local consumption has moved from around 50,000 tonnes in the '90s to 92,000 tons in 2003. In other words, Jamaicans are eating a lot more bananas now than ever before. Much of this is due to their recognition of the wholesomeness of the banana fruit in every form.
WHOLESOMENESS
Someone asked me recently if the Moko disease will affect this wholesomeness in any way. The scientists have been emphatic that the disease affects only a few species of plants and has no effect on humans and animals. Fruits from the areas in St. James where the disease was found are therefore quite safe to eat. In any case, infected farms have been quarantined in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease to other banana producing areas. Plants in those areas are destroyed by spraying with a herbicide and the fruits sprayed with a red paint so they are therefore rendered unfit for the market. Bananas still remains the safest fruit to eat and are a favourite among the health conscious set. The export of bananas seems to have had its golden run and has steadied off for the time being. Local consumption of green and ripe fruits and the production of chips seem to be the activities that will make the banana 'Green Gold' again.
Hugh Martin is a communication specialist and farm broadcaster. E-mail: humar@cwjamaica.com.
