Maynor Velásquez, manager of the Association of Banana Producers of Honduras, stated on Tuesday that the area devoted to banana production has decreased considerably and has been affected by consecutive floods. Currently, the harvest varies between 2,500 and 2,800 boxes per hectare.
This situation has directly impacted the price of bananas in the domestic market, where the price has skyrocketed from three bananas for a lempira to three lempiras for a banana. The producers remaining after the 2020 floods and subsequent events that forced many to sell their farms are now in a constant search for financing, Velásquez stated.
The production area has drastically decreased, from 3,200 hectares to approximately 700 hectares in production, with the possibility of growing to a thousand hectares if funds can be obtained to renovate the farms. The industry, which before Hurricane Mitch in 1998 was comprised of 50 producers and covered some 10,000 hectares nationally, has seen a significant reduction in its production capacity.
Affected areas include San Manuel and Pimienta, in Cortés, as well as the Santa Inés farm in Piletas, Colón. Despite their efforts, Velásquez said they have not been able to secure the government aid needed to overcome the crisis.
Source: proceso.hn