The banana-producing sector of the province of El Oro held a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries (MAGAP), Xavier Ponce, in the Secretariat of the branch in Guayaquil.
In the meeting Luis Valverde, Vice Minister of Agriculture, the Secretary of Agriculture, Carlos Velez, the banana adviser, Rafael Guerrero Burgos and Paul Gonzalez, president of the Agricultural Center of Machala participated in the meeting
The meeting helped the new minister to get to know the Orense banana leaders, Gonzalez said.
He also emphasized that they will seek a way to write a document in which the producers of the Musaceae in El Oro can state the problems of the sector, as well as to try reach a deal for those who have up to 30 hectares in fruit production, so they can have access to six cycles of fumigation issued by the Ministry.
They will also inform the minister that the export sector has begun with speculation on the price of the box, disregarding the value set by law.
"Instead of paying $5.50 per banana box, they are paying $4.80 and up to $5.00 to those who have signed contracts," pointed out Gonzalez in statements to Diario el Correo.