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What’s in a bag?
Central America Caribbean » Saint Vincent & Grenadines » Saint Vincent
June 1st 2009 by Chocoholix, Windward Islands 2009
When you pick up a bag of Fairtrade bananas costing £1.29 in Asda today, it’s hard to imagine the work that has gone into putting it together. Gideon Gilbert is the chair of the Mesopotamia Fair Trade banana farmers’ group. His day on the farm often starts before 6am, before the day gets too hot, and his hard work on the farm is evident in the lush, green leaves of the healthy banana plants that cling to the steep hillside. It’s tough and back breaking work, there’s watergrass and other weeds to clear, leaves to prune, old banana plant debris to clear, young bananas to deflower. Then he has to ensure the banana bunches are protected from insects by covering them in bags, plus fertilising and water channelling. In the thirteen weeks it takes for each bunch to grow and mature to the size required by supermarkets, it’s a constant vigilance.
When the harvest begins, says Gideon, you then have make sure the bananas are pristine - even a small blemish on one banana could lead to the whole pack being rejected. Then you have to always remember which of the supermarkets you’re harvesting for that week. It it’s Asda, well they want the bigger sized bananas, but only in bunches of six. Sainsbury’s, meanwhile, prefers the small bananas for their JS Kids packs - this used to be bunches of seven but now they want eight in a pack. So each bunch has to be carefully chosen and cut to size, with superfluous bananas, even though perfect, cruelly cast aside. The bunches must then be laid down a certain way to let the natural latex drip out. After this they are washed carefully before finally being bagged. Even then, with Asda the bananas must point in one direction in relation to the bar code on the bag, whilst Sainsbury’s wants them to face in the opposite direction. Finally the bananas in their sixes, or eights, in their bags, facing the right way, are boxed and labelled with the farmer’s personal bar code, and ready to be taken to the reception point ready for the next shipment.
Life would certainly be easier for the growers if supermarkets didn't all insist on such different requirements, and as a shopper, I can't help but wonder if we're really naturally finicky about our bananas, or whether we're just being encouraged to be so picky. Sometimes, says Gideon, you think you wouldn’t wish banana farming on your worst enemy. So why does he carry on doing it? Well, for one, I love the land and watching things grow, says Gideon. But with Fairtrade, there’s an additional source of pride for the farmers. With the social premium, the farmers have bought a new school bus, they’ve equipped pre-schools with toys and storybooks, they’ve funded scholarships to ensure the brightest kids can finish secondary school, even if they come from poor families. The next time mum goes to Asda, says Gideon, he’d like her to know that if she chooses Fairtrade bananas for her own kids, it means a child in another country, maybe even in St Vincent, has also been able to go to school.
Part of trip: Windward Islands 2009
4 Comments - Add Public Comment or Send Private Message
June 1st 2009 - Sue Good: Picky customers?
I was interested to read Asda's requirements for bananas. One of the things I dislike most about their Fairtrade bananas is that they are so large - I rarely finish the pack without having to throw out at least two because they have over-ripened. Personally I would be much happier with smaller bananas and varying numbers, I don't always want six. I'll happily take four of the ones left over, they don't have to be part of a bunch. At least that way I won't end up wasting half of them. I think Asda and the other supermarkets are being way too prescriptive on our behalf.
Like you, Sue, I often don't want to buy as many as 6 or 8 bananas, and the use of plastic bags for me is another disincentive. That's why I tend to buy my Fairtrade bananas in Sainsbury's or Waitrose (luckily I have branches of both nearby) where you can buy them loose and choose 1, 2 or any number you like. That's possible because they've made a 100% commitment to Fairtrade bananas and it would be great to see Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-op make progress on this. This is one area of Fairtrade where the Co-op in particular could really take a stronger position, given their support of Fairtrade in other product categories.
Another thing that the Sainsbury's Fairtrade switch has meant is that because it includes their basics range, much fewer bananas are rejected in the processing stage. The Fairtrade story here is truly inspiring. The farmers here have heard that Tesco just posted record profits, and are interested to know when their share of that success might appear!
Barbara
June 5th 2009 - Julie: availability of FT bananas
Like Sue, I prefer more flexibility in the size and number of bananas in supermarkets -even the Co-op, which is better than most, has too many in a bunch. I have often asked out local greengrocer if he can stock them. He has always said that he has tried on numerous occasions and failed. Role on wider availability.
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