Banana production suffers 30% reduction amid El Niño

DAVAO CITY, March 18 (PNA) -– Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) President Stephen Antig raised the intensification anew of spot buyers, better known as “pole-vaulting”, in the banana industry as banana production markedly reduced amidst the dry spell.

Antig said volume of banana production has nose-dived by 30 percent over the last six weeks of El Niño.

In 2009, the banana sector in Mindanao has exported 160 million of boxes of bananas. This is expected to reduce by 30 percent this year, Antig said.

With the banana supply shortage, numerous international buyers are coming in offering good prices, Antig said.

In the wake of said situation, the so-called guerilla buyers are flooding in, Antig said.

With the impact of the dry season, banana growers are resorting to temporary irrigation systems to damage control the effect on the banana production.

Based on their past experiences, the dry spell will last until end of May or end of June, Antig said.

He said banana growers and the industry in general will suffer from these guerilla buyers saying “they are not here to stay and they don’t give advances.” (PNA)
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