Over the last ten years many banana producers in Guadeloupe have stopped using pesticides in order to produce organic bananas, lizards and hummingbirds can now be seen on the plantations.
560,000 tons of bananas are consumed per yer in France, of which a large part is from Guadeloupe and Martinique. A red, white and blue ribbon is wrapped around the bananas so they stand out on the shelves, but only 3% of overseas bananas have this label and they are about 15-20% more expensive than conventionally farmed bananas. One consumer says that “Even if they are more expensive, I would choose them, that’s for sure”. Commercialisation is also easier as the bananas don’t need to be weighed and help to prevent waste.
Near Dunkirk, the new wrapping system has created 25 jobs in a warehouse.