Focus in the banana industry must be on efficiency, productivity

I am still amused by an enquiry made of me lately, tantamount to asking why is Renwick Rose not writing about bananas these days, but can find time to write on all other topics like African Liberation, the Diamond Jubilee etc.?

Amused, and pleasantly so too, because such a question speaks more volumes about the thinking of the concerned person than it does about my choice of topics. That choice has never been about an “either/or” situation, nor counterposing one subject to another; so it is never banana on one hand and other topics on the other.{{more}} They are all part of the same mix. Indeed, if one thinks deeply enough, one would realize that the fate of our banana industry is very relevant to the politics and economics which have underpinned slavery, colonization and world trade and have entrenched monarchies and oligarchies, while pauperizing our farmers, workers and people as a whole.

Having established that, it is heartening to know that there are still persons who would like to read comments from me on the banana situation. Just for the information of those who are not yet aware of it, I am no longer heading the WINFA Secretariat or engaged in full time banana advocacy work. That does not mean that my commitment in that regard has in any way diminished, just that it is no longer my full-time occupation. However, as a concerned citizen in my own right and in my respective civil society capacities, I shall continue to do what I can to assist in the development thrust of our farmers and people as a whole.

Specifically too, the banana situation has radically changed in the past year or two. Up to about 2008/9, the focus was largely on advocacy and lobbying on trade issues, trying to get the best we could achieve out of an unfriendly international trade and economic environment. With the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the Caribbean countries and the European Union(EU) in 2008, and then the December 2009 agreement by the same EU, the USA and Latin American banana-exporting nations, to end their dispute in the World Trade Organization (WTO), the emphasis is no longer on the banana trade regime.

The crucial question for us all now, is that, in the face of less favourable trading conditions, but with market access still available, how can our industry survive and in what shape? That focus is even more imperative in light of the successive blows struck by disease (moko and black sigatoka), natural hazards (drought and storms) in recent years, as well as our own management weaknesses, whether at the farm, the industry or governmental levels.

The key issues are those of productivity, efficiency, quality and management. Quality issues are affecting us badly in both the regional and international markets and we run the risk of falling afoul of our major customers and possibly losing them, and the industry as well. For those who mistakenly believe that that may not be so bad after all, forcing us to diversify, bear in mind that when our farmers build up a bad reputation in a market, for whatever crop, it can have negative repercussions on our overall ability to satisfy increasingly demanding customers.

That said, it is to the credit of the Government, the National Fair Trade Organization/WINFA and WINFARM, the marketing arm, that commendable efforts are being made in most trying circumstances to keep the banana industry afloat and put it on a more efficient and secure footing. In all of this, the Agriculture Minister, Hon. Saboto Caesar, must come in for high praise for his hands-on approach and unquestioned dedication and faith in the farmers. Yet, we must be careful not to raise expectations too high, as though Minister Caesar has a magic wand. To do so would be to set him up for a fall, should events not turn out to be as we all would wish, in spite of our best efforts.

That danger is manifested by Caesar’s own political party, the ULP. Last weekend, its weekly newspaper column, commenting on the banana industry, concluded by claiming:

“It is only the ULP and Comrade Ralph, with the young, energetic and resourceful Minister of Agriculture, Saboto Caesar, who can resuscitate this important sector as we move forward”.

It is all well and good to compare and contrast approaches of the ULP and the NDP, (when it was in office), to the banana industry, but to talk of “only the ULP, Comrade Ralph…and Saboto “, is irresponsible. Does that mean that no one else, no other groups of persons, “can resuscitate the industry”? That statement is casting aspersions on the ability of all others outside the ULP net. Yes, the Government, Comrade Ralph and Minister Caesar deserve high praise for their efforts, but let us not go down that road; they are mortals, not gods. Let us not do either them or the rest of the citizens a disservice by such cheap politicking. We all have to play our part.

Renwick Rose is a community activist and social commentator.