Grow organic, small-scale banana farmers urged

An agriculture expert urged small-scale banana farmers to start producing organic bananas to compete in the cutthroat banana industry. In a lecture sponsored by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research last week, Dr. Larry Digal, a value chain expert, said that banana farmers should continuously innovate because of the globalization of the agri-food system. “This could mean going organic in their production in order to achieve increased market value [for] their produce. Organically grown bananas are 35 percent more expensive than the traditionally grown ones," said Digal, who is also a professor and research director at the University of Philippines Mindanao. The fragmentation of land and the ban on aerial spraying, for instance, have led to a decline in Cavendish banana production. Digal noted that this has contributed to a rise in the poverty incidence in Southern Mindanao, where most of the country’s Cavendish bananas are produced. Aside from the switch to the more lucrative organic banana, Digal also recommended switching to an individual farming system which would increase farmer earnings as compared to a cooperative farming system, wherein farmers need to pay certain membership fees. Digal emphasized the importance of the private sector in pioneering integrated development interventions to give the country’s Cavendish banana industry a much needed boost in the global market. The center focuses on research that aims to “meet contemporary development challenges and provide leadership in enabling an environment for sustainable agricultural and rural development in Southeast Asia," according to its official website. — BC/VS, GMA News