Dozens of banana bunches blocked the main road in the Puerto Inca sector, in Guayas, this Monday, as a protest measure by banana producers in the provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos and El Oro. The objective was to ask the Guillermo Lasso’s government to declare an emergency for the sector, affected by the war between Russia and Ukraine, and to make the immediate purchase of the oversupply of fruit through a contingency fund.
The Executive has not yet ruled, but heads of the main ministries involved spoke of possible credits and the opening of new markets for the product.
Leaders of the National Federation of Banana Growers of Ecuador (Fenabe) stated at the beginning of the day that around 10,000 clusters per day will be taken to the roads of each banana province so that they are available to all citizens. A union spokesman mentioned that the measure will be progressive in each of the country’s banana provinces.
The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Pedro Álava, expressed this Monday, March 14, that what is happening with the banana business cannot be considered an emergency, since there is still time to take measures and seek solutions.
“Emergency is synonymous with the fact that it has already died and must be buried, the banana business has not died and must not be buried, the problem that we are experiencing due to the war is something over which we have control,” he pointed out.
Álava stated that a meeting was scheduled for this Monday afternoon in Guayaquil with several representatives of the sector, with Juan José Pons, coordinator of the Banana and Banana Cluster of Ecuador and Government Counselor ad honorem for the issue, and with the Vice Minister of Exports and Investments, Lorena Konanz, to look for alternatives. She mentioned that a line of credit for producers of up to $55,000 through BanEcuador would be contemplated.
“Our objective of being present at this meeting is because we are open to listening to what they propose, we are going to carefully analyze their proposals… to see what solution we give them,” he added.
Fenabe informed this newspaper that they were not invited to the meeting and denounced that at the meeting that was scheduled for March 4 between producers and exporters and Álava, the head of the Agriculture portfolio never showed up, so there is annoyance within the sector.
For its part, Konanz revealed that the Government is already in negotiations with China and South Korea to be able to arrive with the product which cannot currently enter the Russian and Ukrainian markets.
He recognized that the product that goes to these markets does not comply with the regulations to be able to enter the European Union, so looking for a new market is something that takes some time to materialize.
“We are working hard to give all the support that the export sector needs in times as difficult as these,” said the deputy minister, adding that, of all the products that are exported to the Eurasian market, bananas are the most affected.
In the little more than two weeks since the war began, more than 1,150,000 boxes of bananas have remained in the country.
Before the conflict, approximately 1,800,000 weekly boxes of bananas were destined for Russia and about 180,000 for Ukraine.
Pons revealed a few days ago that the affectation for the producers already exceeded $15 million and that it will continue to worsen because the shipping companies are not carrying the fruit. He also mentioned that the debt to Ecuadorian exporters for the obstacles generated by the conflict amounts to $70 million, since there was a lot of fruit, at least one million boxes, that was already in transit or had just arrived at the destinations.
Given the situation, Segundo Solano, a producer from El Oro who participated in the mobilization of Puerto Inca, explained that they expect him to buy the surplus bananas that are not being marketed to Russia and Ukraine.
“There are not many, there are 800,000 boxes of bananas that go to these countries. We have preferred to take out the bunches to give them to the people than to give them to the exporters”, he stressed.
Solano proposes that the regime buy a million bunches a week with the extra money received from the high price of oil, which exceeds $100.
“We are harmed by the war and the State is benefiting from high oil prices,” he said.
However, the Executive has stated that You don’t know how much additional revenue will be from the price increase.but that there is already a resolution according to which they will be directed to the social and education area and that they cannot go to fixed expenses.
Julio Vázquez, a producer from Guayas who was also present, denounced that the official prices of the $6.25 box of fruit are not paid.
“I have to leave bananas for fifteen days so that they pay us a miserable dollar (with) thirty (cents) and this Mr. Lasso says that with a dollar he eats; I don’t know how, if a breakfast costs a dollar fifty, a dollar eighty, a lunch two dollars fifty, a snack two dollars, what dollar are you talking about? He talks about the loans he is making, but where is the money going to come from to pay them if the farmer is worthless to anyone…”, he rebuked. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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