Delivery: Banana
Hope you enjoy the Banana Song.
Please watch the short video on banana production in Costa Rica by Del Monte (click).
You will notice how organized the plantation is and the plantation resembles monoculture. There seems to be countless plastic bags and boxes, and significant water use.
The video shows planting the banana tree, fertilizing, fruit bag protection, harvesting, cable ways (transportation of short distance), packing (washing and soaking in chemicals?), quality control, research and development, transportation, plastic recycling, reforestation and employees benefits etc. Del Monte shows a sustainable practice.
Banana Del Monte Quality
One article online looks at the “banana wars” [1].
The problem with transporting bananas is that the freighters are equipped with refrigerated units to keep temperature low to prevent ripening before arrival. If the weather outside the ship is cold, the bananas are heated with steam [2].
This process of shipping contributed to 5% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Another problem is the use of chemicals. When bananas arrive, they are still green. They have to be artificially ripened using ethylene. After this, bananas are transported domestically by rail or road, which added to the carbon emissions.
As we’ve learned, monoculture faces a greater threat of extinction by a single disease. Thus, chemical use is increased under such production scheme. “It is estimated that 30 kilograms of pesticides are used per hectare per year on a banana plantation, whereas only 2.7 kilograms are used for the average European cereal crop [49].” This usage also includes quality control. It is estimated that over 400 types of agrochemicals are used. Heavy usage of these chemicals threatens human health and bio-diversity. Land that is saturated with chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides) is not able to pioneer growth and turns into “dead” land. Underground water is also contaminated.
Moreover, banana trees only bear fruit once! Del Monte shows that they recycle these trees and make them into wood cartons.
“It is estimated that for every one ton of bananas produced, there are two tons of waste.” [1] What about calories accounting? If we look behind the curtains, one ripped is not a banana anymore. One banana consists plastic bags, boxes, water, refrigerators, wood, chemicals, gasoline, and electricity.
And…
This banana is not the same as the other bananas. Bananas has not escape the fate of being genetically engineered or artificially pollenated to become hybrids. Like tomatos, the new generations of bananas have characteristics of high fruit yield, resistance to pests, thicker skin for protection in shipping etc [2].
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