The president of the Association of Banana Producers in the Sula Valley, Hector Castro, predicted that Honduran banana exports would suffer a 50% drop this year compared to 2020, when, according to the professional, fruit exports exceeded 700 million dollars.
The leader deplored that the financial and cooperative systems were being cautious to provide funds to producers after the impact of storms Eta and Iota.
"The banks must give loans to reactivate this important activity in the country," he stressed, recalling that bananas are the second generator of foreign currency for Honduras after coffee and that the sector also generates more than 4,000 direct jobs. "It is unfortunate because we already are in the seventh month of the year and there has been no financial support to promote the banana activity."
The recovery of the banana sector has already begun, but it still does not exceed 10%, after the onslaught of last year's storms.
Castro estimated the sector needed to invest 55 million dollars to replant the areas damaged by the rains.
