For Emerson Aguirre, president in charge of the Association of Banana Producers of Colombia (Augura), 2019 has been a year of contrasts for the banana sector, with both meteorological adversities and threats of devastating pests, but also the opening of new markets. Talking to the digital medium El Colombiano, Aguirre revealed the goals that this sector has set for the next ten years.
"The results in 2019 have been positive," says Aguirre, "given the revenue earned in new markets, such as China. This is a great opportunity for the fruit from Urabá, which has agreed to export 4 million boxes annually.” As for the opening of the Chinese market, Aguirre highlighted the agreement regarding the phytosanitary requirements demanded by the Asian country. "Together with the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA), we are renewing the sanitary protocols that will allow the country to increase its exports, not only from Urabá, but also from La Guajira and the department of Magdalena."
The president of Augura also spoke about the dry weather in the country. Despite the lack of rainfall, "we still expect to meet the prospect of increasing the production by 5% compared to 2018, totaling about 107 million boxes exported."
Regarding another of the aspects that have marked the season, the dollar exchange rate, Aguirre said that “there are two sides to this for banana growers. When it comes to the payment of inputs, fertilizers, fungicides or plastic, among other imported items, the impact is negative. For shipments abroad, however, it is positive and generates a point of balance. However, it should be noted that in the Colombian banana agro-industry an average salary is 1.8 times the minimum wage, so labor accounts for 56% of the production costs.”
After taking its first steps in China, the Association of Banana Producers of Colombia intends to increase its production capacity to reach more international markets. "The markets are waiting for us to increase our banana supply, and we will achieve that with a greater production in our 37,000 hectares of plantations. We'll have to go from 2,000 boxes per hectare each year to between 2,600 and 2,800 boxes.”
The main and most ambitious goal for banana growers "is to increase the productivity by 40%; that is, to go from 100 million boxes per year to 140 million boxes," said Aguirre. A feasibility study has been commissioned by the Rural Development Agency (ADR) and EPM, looking into the irrigation of 52,000 hectares of land in Urabá for bananas and other crops."
Since June, there has been an alert for the presence of Fusarium race 4, “although no cases have been reported so far in the Urabá region. We have reached an agreement with the ICA for the setting up of 15 disinfection stations and the implementation of biosecurity schemes in all farms,” said the president of Augura.
