Diario las Américas Newspaper, January 6, 1957, Page 23

\ i | | Rae Oonerediene - Braces support heavy fruit. To harvest, plant stem is cut part way through; bunch is caught as it slowly topples. 3. At Guayaquil, Ecuador, porters carry bananas from lighters to ship’s hold. it operates generally showed mark- ed improvement in the last few years. Its operation of the Pan American Agricultural School in Honduras has been a valuable con- tribution. Recently, however, Ecuador has complained that the company has discriminated against its fruit, fore- ing its price -down.And at home United Fruit is facing monopoly charges in a federal anti-trust suit. That court action is purely do- mestic. Regardless of the outcome, the growers’ problems will continue and the Special Committee is do- ing its best to, find out about them, not overlooking the benefit of Unit- ed’s experience in production and research. A preliminary report on the trade, prepared for the Special Committee, indicates that in 1954 one company (United) handles 98 per cent of the bananas exported from Costa Rica, while the previous year two companies (United and Standard Fruit and Steamship Co.) accounted for 99 per cent of ba- nana exports from Honduras and United handles 84 per cent of those from Guatemala. United, which deals in fruit raised on its own plantations or bought from growers under exclusive contracts or on the- open market, also does a big share of the banana business in Panama and Colombia, and a small share of that in Ecuador and the Domin- ican Republic. Bananas can be raised and mark- eted all year round, but must be grown, harvested, and transport- ed on a strict-schedule. Since cul- tivated bananas are seedless, root sections are used to start new plant- ings. The leafy plant —which some- times attains a height of thirty feet or more— looks like a tree, but isn’t. It grows rapidly, produc- ing its single bunch of fruit in about fourteen months. Then the stalk is cut down and a new shoot comes up from the root. The bun- ches of green bananas must be tak- en quickly-to port and loaded at once on ventilated or refrigerated ships. The long line of worwers car- rying the fruit aboard plods on night and day until the job. is 4 completed, while whole communi- ties camp out at dockside. At their | destination the bananas are ripe- ned in temperature —and humidi- 4 ty-controlled rooms. The yield per acre in terms of food is high. Con- siderable rainfall is required unless irrigation is drainage is essential. Two diseases are the banana gro- § wers’ biggest enemies: Sigatoka, a fungus that attacks the leaves and cripples the fruit, and Panama di- sease, another fungus that strikes the root. Sigatoka was first ob- served in Java in 1903 and came to the Americas in the late twen- ties or early thirties. By 1937 all major American banana growing countries except Ecuador and Pe- ru were affected, and during the % last five years the disease has be- come a big problem in those coun- tries as well. At one time, this plague caused Honduran produc- j tion-to fall from thirty-five million 4 to ten million stems, and 22.000 acres had to be chopped back. Now it can be controlled by spraying with Bordeaux mixture (copper sul- phate, calcium hydroxide, and wa- ter). This is usually done either possible, and good 4 ¥ thrvs,. stationary pipe systems with hose outlets or wifk portable spraying machines. But even where conditions-are most favorable, this technique is expensivé; where. wa- ter is scarce, it may be prohibitive- ly so. In some years as much as 25 per cent of United Fuit’s expend- itures in Guatemala have gone into Sigatoka spraying, and in Ecuador spraying costs sometimes total 50 per cent of the retail price of the fruit. Also, the copper needed to make the fungicide may be difficult to obt&in when that strategic me- tal is in short supply. So the search for a substitute goes on in many places. Experiments in Guadeloupe hold promise of a cheaper and more effective spraying - method, with an oil rather than a water ‘base, that can be used even on rough terrain. In 1909, Surinam (Duth Guiana) exported 650.000 stems of bananas, but the following year all planta- tions had to be abandoned because of Panama disease. When this di- sease strikes, the fields must ei- ther be abandoned or flooded for at least six months. This is the on- ly control method known so far, but obviously can be used only on flat lands where the soil is not too porous and where there is an abundant water supply. It is of no value to small planters om hilly lands or those who raise bananas as a shade crop over their more valuable conffee or cacao trees. Development of varieties with more resistance to this disease may be the best long-run answer. Lacatan, a variety that does not grow as tall as the Gros Michel type that is the standard of com- merce, shows superiority in this respect. Other diseases that cause the fruit to rot during ripening and certain imsect pests also demand attention. Also, more research and pooling of information is need- ed on other crops that can be raised profitably on Jands no lJon- ger serviceable for bananas. Balsa wood has been suggested as one possibility. Meanwhile, producing countries hope to overcome dietary prejudi- ces against their product and build bigger markets. The share of OAS member countries in total world exports of the fruit( not including Jamaica and other European pos- sessions in America) declined from 83 per cent in 1946 to 70.7 in 1953, but was still ahead of the pre- war average of 67.1 per cent. The post-war decline was partly due to the revival of Jamaican and other shipments to Europe, which had been virtually cut off during the war, when shipping shortages ad- versely affected business everywhe- re. Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, as well as Ecuador, im- proved their position in the post- war period, but the Cuban, Mexi- ean, and Nicaraguan shares of the trade dropped off. While per capi- ta consumption of bananas has ri- sen considerably over the pre-war level. in Canada, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, and Uru- guay it has fallen in such countries as the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Argentina, and New Zelandd. In the years 1950-53, Uruguayans were the biggest eaters of batiahas: averaging 22.9 pounds per person a year. Growers hdpe to persuade others to follow their example. car. Female flowers at base of the stalk develop inte fruit. Male flowers have fallen off. Irrigation by overhead spraying at Granada plantation, Dominican Republic, yo , Laborers’ houses on a banana plantation in Honduras. SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 1957 Rhizome (underground stem or “bulb”) for new planting. Plants are chopped down when fruit is harvested; suckers send up mew 'i Se SEES EET AE I ORE EERO Page 11