Big exporters of bananas stop shipping to China

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Large banana exporting companies had stopped sending their produce to China upon advice of their clients, an industry leader said Tuesday.

But Stephen Antig, president of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters, said small producers continue to send their products to China amid stricter quarantine policy that Beijing said had to be implemented to protect its agriculture industry and consumers.

“Most of us (banana growers) have stopped shipping to China on the advice of the buyers (Chinese). They reasoned out that their ports are already congested,” Antig said.

But he said banana growers had suspected another thing.

Antig said the implementation of stricter quarantine policies could be tied to the dispute between the country and China over the issue of Panatag shoal although Chinese quarantine officials pointed to recent discovery of a pest on some bananas sent from the Philippines.

“Chinese traders remain interested to buy Philippine bananas but are helpless with their government’s own rules and they are silent and are scared of violating these,” he said.

Antig said they also observed that there is some sort of a “news blackout” in China regarding bananas in the Philippines being held at Chinese ports.

He said Pbgea had wanted to send agricultural scientists to China to meet with quarantine authorities there but it was advised against doing so by Philippine authorities.

“They wanted to have a talk on a government to government level,” Antig said.

Antig said the issue concerning bananas to China has resulted in huge losses for banana exporters.

At least 1,500 container vans loaded with bananas are being held in Chinese ports and Chinese authorities will be sending it back soon, he said, adding that the bananas may have rotted already because Chinese ports have not enough facilities to keep them fresh.

A combine 1.2 million boxes or about 800 container vans of Cavendish bananas are shipped to China per week prior to Pbgea’s decision to stop sending bananas there.

Meanwhile, Antig also expressed dismay over what he said was President Aquino’s seemingly lukewarm response to the current setback in the banana industry.

“Medyo masama loob namin (we are a bit disheartened),” he said, citing that Mr. Aquino came to the city last week without meeting banana growers.

He said Mr. Aquino’s previous advice to them to ‘find other market’ was “easier said than done.”

“It is not that easy to develop a new market, which sometimes takes years or even a decade,” Antig said.

He said even before the setback with the China market, banana growers have been constantly on the look out for new market such in Russia, Turkey and even the United States.

“But growers can only ship bananas if it is profitable for them to do so,” Antig said, hinting that these markets were not quite promising.