Excess forces WIBDECO to leave back bananas

WIBDECO announced last week that during the first two weeks of January 2007, they were forced to leave back a total of 22,300 cartons of bananas that it purchased from farmers.

According to the release, this was because the total volume or number of cartons of bananas received during that period was significantly in excess of the total volume that was contractually notified to WIBDECO by the local banana supplying companies.{{more}}

In spite of that, WIBDECO still purchased all the bananas delivered and absorbed the losses on the volumes that were left behind. WIBDECO wants to make it abundantly clear to the growers and the public that its primary concern is for the banana farmers and it is out of this concern that it has not enforced the provisions of its contract with the banana companies and, instead, paid for all the fruit. If it had not done so, the banana growers most certainly would not have been paid.

WIBDECO wants to reassure the banana farmers that, contrary to misleading statements they may have heard from certain quarters, there is no other reason or motive for the fruit being left back.

“WIBDECO will address the problem, but we cannot guarantee that it will not recur in the short term, as we revamp our arrangements to deal with the unexpected surge in volume.”

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday, WIBDECO’s Island Manager, Vincent Sobers said that some of the bananas which were left back were distributed to schools and government institutions, residents of the Grenadines and the leeward side of the island. The remainder had to be dumped.

In the next few weeks, WIBDECO will put in place its own production forecasting mechanism, using its Grower Management System (GMS) and the growers’ Ribbon System to deliver more accurate production forecasts to mitigate such problems. However, in order to do so successfully, WIBDECO will need the full cooperation of the banana growers, who will play a key part in that process.

WIBDECO has also been experiencing problems from a shortage of pallets in recent weeks. The company is fully aware of the delays and other difficulties that the pallet shortage is causing to banana farmers. However, they ask for the farmers’ patience as they seek to resolve this problem, which to a large extent has been beyond their control.