Union warns that limiting banana production would affect more than 18,000 families in Colombia’s Caribbean region
The Banana Growers Association of Magdalena and La Guajira (Asbama) has rejected a proposal by the Colombian president to reduce banana production, warning that it would negatively impact more than 18,000 families.
President Gustavo Petro wants to reduce banana production in the Caribbean region in order to allocate more drinking water to the local population. But Asbama said it “respectfully but firmly” rejects the initiative. Instead, it is urging the government to tackle the water shortage “based on technical, structural, and responsible criteria”.
The union asserted that blaming the banana sector for the water crisis is “technically incorrect” and ignores both the structural causes of the problem and the economic and social impact that this agricultural activity has in the Caribbean region.
José Francisco Zúñiga, executive president of Asbama, commented: “We fully share the urgent need to guarantee drinking water for the communities of the Colombian Caribbean. However, pointing to the banana sector as responsible for this problem and proposing reduced production as a solution is technically flawed and ignores both the structural causes of the crisis and the social and economic contribution this activity represents for the Magdalena region”.
Asbama insisted that the water crisis in the Caribbean stems from historical and structural problems that require investment in aqueducts, watershed restoration, modernisation of irrigation districts, and greater efficiency in public administration.
