Visit to Chiquita

On Friday 25th our group traveled to Chiquita from La Selva. I found this to be one of the most interesting company visits that we have taken this summer. Some things that really stood out were Chiquita emphasizing that the banana industry is moving towards sustainability. In my mind that situation is nearly impossible due to the high amounts of chemicals that are being used for the health of the banana plant. Another thing Chiquita wanted to emphasize was that they were a part of the Rain Forest Alliance since 1991. This means that Chiquita must meet strict environmental standards, including minimal pesticide use, protection of wildlife, conservation of water and soil, environmental education, fair pay, adequate housing and safe working conditions for employees, and zero tolerance for deforestation. From what the company said, Chiquita is one of very few companies that have moved towards more environmental friendly practices.

One interesting fact is that bananas are not native to Costa Rica, they are actually from Asia. So for this reason many diseases can wipe out the entire crop of bananas. Because of the extreme amounts of overhead and supplies that are used it is almost impossible to grow bananas at a local level.



Workers
The Banana industry employs 10 percent of the workforce in Costa Rica. These workers generally receive higher living standards than other agricultural workers. Depending on the country anywhere from 5 to 30 percent employ women. I noticed that when we went to the factory that most of the employees that separated the bananas were all women. Chiquita treats their workers very kindly by allowing them to unionize, giving them medical benefits, selling houses at reduced prices, and donating schools to the community.


Banana Production
The banana plant actually grows several shoots from the same plant, but only the strongest is kept and the others are transported to start a new plant. It takes around 6 to 8 months for a plant to develop a banana stem. When the bananas grow they are protected with a blue bag that helps block out radiation and harmful insects. Many of the banana plants are unstable, so they are tied together with twine to ensure a healthy plant. When ready the banana stem is cut off from the plant and are hung in cableways and sent to the processing factory. While at the packing station the bananas are inspected and Chiquita makes sure that the bananas meet all weight and quality standards. All bananas are run through large water tanks for cleaning and then they are placed on conveyors for packaging. After the bananas are packaged they are shipped by truck and then by ship, and it usually takes anywhere from 3 to 11 days for the actual banana to hit the market.


In my opinion Chiquita is still far from sustainability but they are moving in the right direction. It was nice to see that the main thing that they wanted to emphasize is that they were meeting all standers set by the Rain Forest Alliance.
I really haven’t experienced the banana crop since I´ve been down here. I don’t know if the locals don’t like it or if it’s one of the more expensive fruits?¿