JOHNSTON
IT IS likely to be at least a year before shipping of bananas from Jamaica resumes at the traditional venue - Boundbrook Wharf in Portland, according to Charles Johnston, chairman of Jamaica Producers Group Ltd.
The Banana Export Company Ltd. recently shifted its banana shipping operations from Port Antonio, Portland, to Kingston, causing some consternation in Portland. The decision, Johnston explained, was based on the fact that the shipments this year were being made aboard a larger vessel, which could not be accommodated in the limited Port Antonio harbour.
That shift to a larger ship came, ironically, because of a decrease in the amount of bananas being produced locally. Johnston, speaking at this week's Gleaner Editors Forum, explained that the recent hurricanes (in 2004 and 2005) had caused a significant drop in production levels, "to a point where our volumes had to be shared with shipments from Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic".
Combining shipments from two additional countries meant, he explained, that a larger ship was now required than would normally have been needed for shipments of Jamaican bananas only. "The bigger ship could not go into Port Antonio. The town does not have a tug and basically the harbour is not safe for that size ship," Johnston said.
NOT WELL RECEIVED
The decision has not been well received in Portland. Mayor of Port Antonio, Rupert Kelly, has embarked on a crusade to have an early resumption of shipment from Boundbrook Wharf, a sentiment shared by members of the business community.
"This represents a significant setback to the economy of Port Antonio. Approximately 40 workers have lost their jobs, and that, by extension, has affected about 200 persons," Mayor Kelly told The Gleaner.
Furthermore, Kelly is not yet satisfied with the explanations offered, and is asking for further investigations of the technical feasibility of continuing to utilise the Port Antonio harbour.
But, ultimately, according to Charles Johnston, the solution is for Jamaica to increase its production of bananas "so that we can go back to the smaller ship we were accustomed to using, which can call at Port Antonio safely".
