Exports of Jamaican bananas to the UK are to cease.
The sad, historic announcement was made this week by Jamaica Producers Group (JPG) chairman Charles Johnston and brings to an end more than 100 years of trade in the product with the UK.
Johnston told freshinfo: “We have been hit by five hurricanes in a decade and so are ceasing growing bananas at one of our two big farms. That loss of production leads us to cease exporting bananas to the UK.”
JPG will continue to grow bananas for the domestic fresh and processing markets, and to farm the land that is exiting banana production, however.
Johnston said: “There is a factory nearby that is looking at converting sugar cane to ethanol, so in the short term we will be producing cane, which is not so susceptible, on that farm, while we look at what to do in the longer term.”
Johnston explained that under Jamaican law, all 460 workers on the farm will have to be made redundant before some of them are offered new jobs in sugar cane production. He said: “But sugar cane production does not require such intensive labour, so there will be job losses and we are going through all the correct processes with the unions.
“It is a big blow, but we do not see the weather pattern changing any time soon and so we have come to the decision to exit banana production at that farm.
“It is an historic moment and a very sad one.”
Hurricane Dean last year dealt a devastating blow to JPG production and it had only just recovered to recommence exports to the UK and achieve Fairtrade accreditation when Hurricane Gustav struck at the end of August.
JPG also has two farms in Honduras. “As a company we are looking at continuing to grow bananas in non-hurricane zones close to Jamaica,” said Johnston.
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