SINTRAINAGRO plans to form a common front in defense of the Banana industry. The possibility of advancing a regional civic strike is being considered

Colombia’s National Union of Agroindustry Workers (SINTRAINGRO) proposed that a task force be established in the region of Urabá, involving representatives from the Government, corporate management, distributors, workers, and every active stakeholder in the region who has been in one way or another affected by the crisis in the banana industry.

The proposal was presented by the organization during the Forum in Defense of Employment and Social Development, which was held at SENA headquarters in Apartadó, Department of Antioquia. Some 400 people participated in the event, but no Government authorities or representatives of the distributors were present, an absence which was criticized by the panelists.

For his part, Roberto Hoyos, President of AUGURA, said that nobody imagined the dollar would climb as high as 1,900 pesos. Production costs are increasing daily, with oil byproduct input prices rising more and more. At the current exchange rate, this business is not viable. He acknowledged that they had received more than one billion pesos from the Government, which “is a significant contribution, but in the last three years the sector has lost 1.28 trillion pesos in earnings. Producers are in a very delicate financial situation. He suggested that the tripartite committee be reactivated to deal with the situation.

Luis Alejandro Pedraza, president of the National Agro-Food Union of Colombia (UNAC), said he was in favor of forming a common front in the banana regions in order to defend this agroindustry. He also opposed the possible replacement of banana crops with African Oil Palm. “Two thousand jobs are generated for every 1000 hectares of banana crops and only 100 jobs are created for every 1000 hectares of oil palm, which means that there is an obvious difference in this sense, with huge employment and social implications for the region. He underlined the importance of holding forums like the one in Urabá, as they provide an opportunity for assessing the situation of the industry, analyzing its prospects, and putting forward solutions to the crisis caused by the peso’s devaluation.

Fanny Wilches, territorial director of the special work office in Urabá, pointed out that the Government was closely following the devaluation process of the peso against the dollar, and the implications it may entail for exporters. It’s no secret for anybody, she added, that this situation will have a huge impact on job generation. In this case, every social stakeholder has the responsibility of presenting alternatives to overcome the crisis.

Teodoro Díaz Lobo, president of Convergencia Ciudadana, Urabá, admitted that there are alarming problems, and that the crisis does not affect small and large producers alike. He pointed to the importance of seriously analyzing the situation with the aim of devising alternatives, securing the involvement of the Government, and developing policies for agroindustry.