Shelly-Ann Thompson, Staff Reporter

Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall (left), Agriculture Minister Christopher Tufton (centre) and Senator Norman Grant, president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, are about to bite into their ripe bananas. The occasion was the launch of the European Union Banana Support Programme's Banana Consumption Campaign 2008 at Denbigh showground in Clarendon yesterday. - Photos by Norman Grindley /Deputy Chief Photographer

LOCAL BANANA players hope to increase the island's productivity by some 10 per cent in light of Government's launch of a banana-consumption campaign yesterday.

Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall officially launched the campaign at the European Union Banana Support Programme pavilion at the Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show in Clarendon.

Hall, stating that he was a banana farmer, said the crop was an important aspect of the country's economy. He said more than 40,000 Jamaicans were affected by the growth of the sector. "So, I take great pleasure in being associated with this launch," said the governor general.

Challenges

Children and adults go for a ride at Denbigh.

The banana industry has been rocked by a few challenges. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade had to implement measures last week to prevent a fallout in the banana industry after the country's loss of European tariff preferences on Monday. The lowering of tariffs on non-African, Caribbean and Pacific imports into Europe will decline from the current €176 per tonne to €114 per tonne by 2016. The lowering of tariffs and the resultant rise in competition comes against the background of Hurricane Dean's wiping out more than 90 per cent of local banana fields last August.

The banana-consumption campaign, while addressing these challenges, is geared at promoting the increased use of the fruit by Jamaicans. Vincent Evans, managing director of the Banana Export Company, told The Sunday Gleaner at the launch that although the industry had been damaged by Hurricane Dean, growers were feverishly working to improve productivity by year end.

"The resuscitation programme of fields is now in place. By end of year it will be boosted by 10 per cent," said Evans.

Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said at the launch that with the challenges facing the industry and continued increases in the prices of imported starches, it was important for Jamaicans to explore the versatility of the fruit.

Value-added products

The minister said the banana-consumption campaign will advance on an already vibrant local industry, with some 100,000 tonnes of the fruit being consumed by Jamaicans. Last year, only 32,000 tonnes of banana was exported, reported Tufton.

He said more banana value-added products must be a part of the Jamaican diet. Bread, flour, jams, jellies, wines and vinegar and animal feed should be processed from the fruit, decreasing the country's dependence on imports, Tufton said.

The banana-consumption campaign will be conducted over seven months, educating stakeholders and the general public about the benefits derived from banana consumption. The campaign will be carried out through a series of promotional activities in schools, hotels, supermarkets and via media broadcasts.

Banana update

Some 85 per cent of traditional banana fields are back in production since Hurricane Dean ravaged the industry.

Banana growers have reaped from what was planted some eight months ago.

The major banana-growing parishes are currently Trelawny, St Mary, Portland, St James and St Thomas.