bananas

Question 1

how many tonnes of bananas are produced and exported a year?

Answer 1

50 million tonnes produced each year
20 million tonnes exported

Question 2

largest exporters

Answer 2

• more than 90% of bananas for export originate in central + south america + philippines

Question 3

examples of banana TNCs that dominate the global banana trade

Answer 3

Del Monte
Dole

Question 4

features of banana TNCs

Answer 4

• own + control large plantations, heavily treated with pesticides
• farmers paid very little + poor conditions
• can dictate terms + prices to smaller growers who depend on TNCs for access to the market
• vertical + horizontal integration enables TNCs to control the entire supply chain giving significant advantage

Question 5

positives of banana trade

Answer 5

• nutritional benefit (make up a lot of LDEs calorie intake)
• employment - 300k people in philippines
• export earnings in producer countries

Question 6

negatives of banana trade

Answer 6

• treated with pesticides + herbicides + artifical fertiliers - affects ecosystems, + health of workers
• deforestation for plantations
• expoiltation of workers + child labour

Question 7

what is fairtrade

Answer 7

a global + ethical movement designed to ensure producers/farmers recieve fair wages + safe working conditions

Question 8

what % of banans sold does fair trade account for

Answer 8

40%

Question 9

features of faritrade bananas

Answer 9

• typically higher than market price to cover costs of sustainable production
• requires farmers to use sustainable practices like reducing pesticides

Question 10

2 largest importers of Bananas

Answer 10

the EU and the US