Philippine banana grower-shippers have expressed concern over moves by a foreign-funded lobby to push for the reimposition of hectarage limits on banana plantations, reports the Manila Daily Inquirer.
In a statement, the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) said anti-industry group IDIS is lobbying for the repeal of an old law (EO 807) that removed size limits on land planted to bananas.
IDIS claims the law is unconstitutional because banana plantation expansion jeopardizes national food production.
However, the PBGEA says IDIS' campaign is part of a renewed multi-pronged effort against the Philippine multi-million-dollar banana export industry.
PBGEA executive director Steve Antig said: 'But `we are` confident that the national leadership will resolve the question of EO 807's constitutionality for the best interest of the Filipino people and the country.
Another spokesperson for the banana sector, Renante Bangoy, told the Inquirer that IDIS' claim that bananas hinder the country's food production programme was 'baseless and irrational', adding that the total land area planted to export bananas is less than one per cent of the total agricultural land area of Mindanao.
'Despite this limitation, export bananas generate an average of US$720m in yearly export earnings for the country, provide employment to 240,000 workers, provide local government units with an average of P830m (US$19m) in taxes,' Mr Bangoy said.
