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Banana in Martinique - Production and exports
Martinique
Tuesday 24 June 2008
Farming is very specialised in Martinique. Banana growing, accounting for the greater part of agricultural added value (43% against 4% for sugar cane) was developed strongly after the collapse of sugar prices at the end of the 1960s. Nearly 5% of the working population and 49% of agricultural labour work in this sector—the main employer in nearly 60% of the island's communes.
Farming an hectare of banana requires an average of 0.7 labour unit. Some 6 066 persons worked in the banana plantations in 2005. Most of the workers are employed on a permanent basis. In 2006, there were 577 plantations,172 fewer than in 2001. Most of the closures have concerned small and medium-sized plantations with areas ranging from less than 5 to more than 10 hectares and located in the north. The phenomenon is probably the result of on the one hand the setting up of the "contrat de progrès" (signed between professionals and the government in 2004) favouring the retirement of small farmers and on the other of the absence of economies of scale. Banana plantations have proportionally gained a larger share of the agricultural area of the island in the last five years. In addition, an increasing proportion of farms are becoming devoted to banana growing. In 2006, nearly 18% of farms were banana plantations against 11.1% in 2001. The average yield increased from 26.3 tons per hectare in 2001 to 30.4 tons in 2006. The trend is correlated with the increase in
average farm size from 12 hectares in 2001 to 12.5 hectares in 2006. The 64 large plantations of more than 50 hectares recorded an average yield of 33.7 tons per hectare in 2005 and accounted for 67% of the tonnage, while forming hardly 11% of farms. In contrast, the 289 small farms with less than five hectares, that is to say 50% of farms, had an average yield of 16.3 tons per hectare and produced 6% of the tonnage.
Farming an hectare of banana requires an average of 0.7 labour unit. Some 6 066 persons worked in the banana plantations in 2005. Most of the workers are employed on a permanent basis. In 2006, there were 577 plantations,172 fewer than in 2001. Most of the closures have concerned small and medium-sized plantations with areas ranging from less than 5 to more than 10 hectares and located in the north. The phenomenon is probably the result of on the one hand the setting up of the "contrat de progrès" (signed between professionals and the government in 2004) favouring the retirement of small farmers and on the other of the absence of economies of scale. Banana plantations have proportionally gained a larger share of the agricultural area of the island in the last five years. In addition, an increasing proportion of farms are becoming devoted to banana growing. In 2006, nearly 18% of farms were banana plantations against 11.1% in 2001. The average yield increased from 26.3 tons per hectare in 2001 to 30.4 tons in 2006. The trend is correlated with the increase in
average farm size from 12 hectares in 2001 to 12.5 hectares in 2006. The 64 large plantations of more than 50 hectares recorded an average yield of 33.7 tons per hectare in 2005 and accounted for 67% of the tonnage, while forming hardly 11% of farms. In contrast, the 289 small farms with less than five hectares, that is to say 50% of farms, had an average yield of 16.3 tons per hectare and produced 6% of the tonnage.
