Last week the decision of the Government of Bolivia to ban imports of Argentinian table grapes for 90 days generated a huge controversy. The government argued that there shouldn't be any imports of grapes into the Bolivian territory because of the significant levels achieved by their domestic production. The information was released in insalta.info.
In the aftermath of that decision, the producers of bananas from Salta asked the Provincial Government to place a temporary ban on the entry of bananas from Bolivia to Argentina with the Ministry of Agricultural Industry, as Salta and Jujuy's production can meet the needs of the domestic market.
According to producers, banana imports from Bolivia, which are mainly sent to the provinces of NOA and the center of the country (while Buenos Aires and south Argentina mainly consume Ecuadorian bananas), drive down the banana prices below production costs.
A group led by the president of the Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers from Salta, Jose Luis Checa, and the sector leaders, Sebastian Romano and Juan Jose Ortega formalized the request on Friday. They met with the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Production, Javier Montero, the Secretary of Agrarian Affairs, Flavio Aguilera, and the general director of Agriculture, Gunther Schreiner.
Producers said that the banana industry generated genuine local labor, and highlighted the quality of the bananas from Salta, which mature on the plant, unlike the exported bananas, which mature while being shipped to their destinations. They also discussed the importance of developing productive investment together to adding value to Salta's banana production, and to improve manufacturing, among other issues.
Finally, they insisted that Salta and Jujuy could cover the country's banana demand without any problems.
