The area devoted to this crop is decreasing. "Banana production in the departments of Pilcomayo and Pilagas in the province of Formosa is coming to an end after having had a glorious and iconic moment some forty years ago," lamented the farmers of Argentina's Agrarian Federation (FAA) from Laguna Naineck.
According to the association, these departments had up to 12,000 hectares of banana in the 70s and through much of the 80s, an area that has now dwindled to less than 1500 hectares. "They were the most glorious years for production, a time when there was productive development, and when dozens of villages, neighbourhoods and families that made their living directly from this crop, advanced," they stated.
"In the last fifteen years prices have fallen and there was a lack of marketability even though the banana is the most consumed fruit in Argentina. As a result, the crop area decreased and now there only are about 1500 hectares left," they said.
The association asks for protective measures for this activity that ensure banana producers can market their fruit at a fair price. So far, they said, they have received technical assistance and inputs from the national and provincial government, but "this aid has not been enough to ensure the success of the crop or to stop its progressive disappearance."
The FAA attributed the low prices and marketing problems to the lack of specific public policies to boost the sector. To reverse the situation, they proposed creating a National Fund for Bananas and implementing a minimum reference price.
"We've got to put an end to this. We need protective measures, we need a law to protect the banana production from Formosa, otherwise banana production will completely disappear in our territory by 2020," they claimed.
Source: infocampo.com.ar