by Noel Baguio
The Philippine export banana industry will not really be affected by the tragedy in Japan.
Governor Rodolfo del Rosario, who is considered one of the pioneers of the export banana industry in the country, is confident the string of disasters in Japan won’t have a negative impact on the Davao region’s top dollar earner.
The governor said industry players should not be alarmed since the region at the moment has no problem unloading its bananas, in spite of the horrific earthquake and tsunami in Japan, aggravated by the nuclear fall-out that happened as an aftermath of the calamity.
Industry reports reveal the Philippines supplies 95 percent of Japan’s banana requirement, which constitutes about two-thirds of the banana exports from Region 11.
The government is now bracing for a possible slowdown of agriculture exports to Japan as a result of the catastrophe that recently hit the world’s third largest economy.
However, Del Rosario said major banana corporations in the region have yet to feel the negative effects of the tragedy.
“There is no reason to worry,” del Rosario assured.
He said the possible slump could easily be compensated for by the increasing banana requirement of China and the Middle Eastern countries.
What he is more concerned of, the governor said, is the inclement weather condition that has been wreaking havoc on the region’s banana production.
The governor revealed the intermittent rains in recent weeks and months have made it difficult for farmers and growers to control some banana diseases, bringing production down.
Del Rosario is positive that as the Japanese economy is anticipated to bounce back immediately, their demand for bananas from the region is expected to normalize, if not rise dramatically.
He disclosed Philippine bananas have been a basic food of the Japanese consumers, being the cheapest fruit in the market of the Land of the Rising Sun.
