ASHTON
"I am one of the new producers. I see myself as an investor. I wonder sometimes if the decision was correct, but I am confident and I echo the sentiments that the banana industry, is a good product, it has a solid market and money can be made from it.
I believe though we could take it a step further and resolve some of these employment issues that are currently facing the nation. I have had the good fortune of employing 40 to 44 people on my farm and I see the abundance of land and waste laying around doing nothing and Dr. Hall is saying we have a capacity of 200,000 quota system which we have not met. We need to find a way to expand this production, bring it back to where it was.
ESTABLISH A COLLECTIVE UNIT
A cooperative effort that is inclusive of the smaller farmers (is needed). Everything has gone up since I started producing, except how much I am paid for the banana and my feeling is that the way to fight this is to establish a collective unit.
We have to find some way of getting the people on the land, some way of getting them the assistance in whatever it takes to produce the banana and to meet the quota. Here is a ready market that could be met, should be met, and we are thinking of selling licence to others? We need to find some way of getting the land.
If we believe that this fruit is so strong and we are so dependent on it and then we have a problem of employment and economics and economies of scale, then let's focus on getting production up, getting the people involved. I am happy for the support of the EU."
