Banana growers call for summit in face of growing competition

DAVAO CITY -- Davao Region’s banana growers have called on the government to spearhead an industry summit following reports that neighboring countries are starting to expand their plantations and would soon be competing with Philippine bananas in the export market. Stephen A. Antig, president of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association, said the summit is necessary since it will address problems hounding the industry for Mindanao to maintain its position as top exporter of bananas in Asia. "We will be losing plenty of opportunities for growth due to the lackadaisical attitude of government, myopic policies, and too liberal on environment where even foreign-funded lobbyists are freely allowed to assail legitimate Filipino businesses," said Mr. Antig. He cited a report of Bernama News, Malaysia’s state-owned news agency, quoting Jessie Soon of Dole Sebiro Sdn Berhad that Malaysia will start exporting its Cavendish bananas next year and that it will expand its plantations not only in Malaysia but in South Korea as well. Mr. Antig said the South Korean market is among the emerging banana markets in Asia. "There is still so much room for growth in the global banana market but it seems that an exodus has begun and investors are going elsewhere because of better incentives being offered by government and the absence of destabilizing factors such as misguided and adversarial often misinformed nongovernmental organizations," he added. In Malaysia, he added, the Hulu Selangor state government even turned down offers of companies for commissions and shares in their business. "Not only did the state government provide infrastructure support to the investors. It also took measures to consult the local population and solicit people’s support to investors’ initiatives in upgrading productivity of local labor and in community development programs," said Mr. Antig. Aside from Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei have also started developing commercial-scale banana farms in anticipation of the continuing growing demand of the global market. Mr. Antig added that Malaysia is pouring funds for the development of its Sabah coast for plantations as it trains its eye on China for its tropical fruits. Earlier, Anthony B. Sasin, spokesman of the banana growers’ association, called on the government to create a banana development institute in Mindanao, a body that will formulate plans for the industry. The institute, Mr. Sasin said, will facilitate "the creation of more types of bananas for export, thus more opportunities... for the country and jobs for the people." The 40-year-old industry has been besieged by problems after local environmental groups pushed for the banning of aerial spraying in commercial farms. The city government even came out with a ban but the banana association questioned the constitutionality of the ordinance. -- Carmelito Q. Francisco, BusinessWorld