Monday, December 18, 2006 Banana rejects help lumads
KORONADAL CITY -- Cavendish bananas produced in T'boli, South Cotabato by Upland Banana Corp. that did not pass export-quality standards are not dumped in the domestic market, a company official assured on Sunday.
Winnie Osorio, Upland Banana community relations and development officer, said these banana rejects are being sold to local traders to be used as ingredient in making animal feeds.
"It is the policy of the management that bananas not suited for export shall not be disposed in the local markets for consumption of the people because we don't want to compete with local producers," he said.
Upland Banana is a subsidiary of Davao-City-based AJMR Group, which is headed by Alberto M. Soriano.
In 2004, Japanese firm Sumifru Corp. poured investments of about P2.1 billion for AJMR's banana expansion.
Upland Banana products are marketed to Japan by AJMR, reportedly the country's number one banana supplier in Japan, even if it is just the third biggest banana producer in the Philippines.
Osorio said T'boli are earning additional money through their labor into chopping the reject bananas for drying and later on using these as feed ingredient.
He however declined to identify the buyer of the said banana rejects. (BSS)
