Banana growers spend for foreign travels to get better market price

The Federation of Cooperative in Mindanao (FEDCO) have opted to meet their prospective foreign buyers in their respective places just to get a good market price for their exportable bananas.
FEDCO chief executive officer Ireneo Dalayon said he and other officials will be going to Japan to talk to about five prospective buyers saying that talking directly with potential buyers is a way of getting best results in terms of market price.
This would also mean huge expenses for the banana growers, Dalayon said although he added their trip is in time for the Food Expo.
“We will be in Japan on March 4 to 5 to do some marketing. You can get a higher price if you go directly to your potential buyers,” Dalayon said.
FEDCO, which has about 3,000 members, is producing 7,000 boxes of exportable bananas per week at US$ 12 CNF (cost and freight) per box.
Aside from Japan, FEDCO is targeting buyers from the Middle East, which Dalayon described as among the new market for the Philippine bananas.
Dalayon said banana growers have to spend a lot like traveling in order get higher price for their bananas, otherwise it will end up only in the local markets at very low price.
Marketing is among the many problems confronting the banana industry. Other problems include the Panama disease and funding, Dalayon said. Panama disease is a plant disease attacking the roots of the banana plants. It has no cure and can not be controlled by fungicide.
Dalayon said banana growers will be discussing with the Departments of Trade and Industry (DTI) and of Agriculture (DA) in Region 11 (Southern Mindanao) on the marketing of bananas with the onset of the peak months of February, March and May.
“We have to rationalize the marketing,” he said.[PNA]