Weather event threatens livelihood of up to 700 familes, Asbama says
Strong winds have affected between 1,000ha and 1,500ha hectares of banana plantations in Magdalena, Colombia, leaving more than 250 small producers facing significant losses.
The Association of Banana Growers of Magdalena and La Guajira (Asbama) issued an urgent call to the new government of president Abelardo de la Espriella to address the emergency in Magdalena’s ” Zona Bananera on the Caribbean coast, claiming it jeopardises the livelihood of more than 700 families who rely on banana production as a source of income.
José Francisco Zúñiga, president of Asbama, said the organisation would support producers throughout the recovery process.
“We stand in solidarity with every small producer and every family in the Zona Bananera who has been affected. We will not leave them to face this alone. Asbama will continue working hand-in-hand with the authorities to ensure this call to action translates into concrete steps, effective support, and solutions that allow for the restoration of the Zona Bananera municipality’s productive capacity,” he said.
As a first step, Asbama has proposed that an inter-institutional coordination session be held with the Santa Marta Chamber of Commerce to identify the key needs of cooperatives representing the affected farmers and to bring together public and private entities capable of providing solutions to the emergency.
Asbama has identified access to credit and financing, guarantees, training, technical assistance, risk management, and business strengthening as key issues affecting producers in the region.
The proposal seeks to leverage the Santa Marta Chamber of Commerce’s capacity as a partner organisation to coordinate the various stakeholders, connect producers with available institutional resources, and facilitate solutions.
According to Asbama, this coordination would also contribute to the recovery process of the crops and to the strengthening of the families that depend on this economic activity in the Magdalena Banana Zone.
