A banana farmer cries out

Gareth Davis Sr., Gleaner Writer

A 60-YEAR-OLD banana farmer, Rudolph King, is adamant that farming is still a viable product for rural parishes, despite the collapse of the banana industry, which has suffered immensely from recent hurricanes.

The ageing farmer, who now plants a mere two acres of land at Light House in Portland, is of the view that with added support from the ministry of agriculture and other donor agencies, the country could see a resurgence in banana farming and other farm produce.

"I have been doing farming all my life," said King. "I learned the art and skill from my grandfather, while he was alive in the Rio Grande valley, where farming was and still is a way of life. I have sold bananas to the Banana Export Company (BECO) for export aboard ships at the Boundbrook wharf but, sad to say, the ships have not returned for more than seven years now."

Up until 2002, King boasted more than five acres of banana, most of which was packaged and exported to England aboard the banana vessel Jamaica Producers, which at the time made two calls per week at Boundbrook wharf in Port Antonio.

King, who is now engaged in other crops, including pumpkin, peppers, plantain, callaloo, and dasheen, is determined to continue his livelihood, which has allowed him to support his common-law wife, children, and grandchildren over a 45-year period.

True to tradition

And with the advent of technological farming equipment, King remains true to his traditional way of farming - using a machete, fork, picker, and a hand file as a sharpener. But while King has lamented the decline in banana export as a result of the heavy battering from natural disasters, is there any real hope for others like him, who are still involved in the planting of that crop?

King believes that enough was not done by the powers that be to assist farmers to replant, and to provide them with suckers (seedlings) so as to start the process of recovery. According to him, it is going to take a concerted effort from the ministry of agriculture, and other state and donor agencies to get banana production and exports back to the level where it was more than a decade ago.

King added: "I do strictly organic farming, and I have never used fertiliser. I am quite aware of the benefits in using fertilisers on certain crops, including banana, but with the high cost for fertiliser, it shows that my way of farming is a lot cheaper and safer. Any country that is able to feed itself will thrive, and there are so many idle lands in Jamaica waiting to be planted up with a variety of crops. Farming is the way forward, and if we are able to twin agriculture with sports, or even with tourism, we could see a resurgence in agriculture in a very short period."