Belize's Banana Industry: Where It's At

The banana industry in Belize is largely located in the Stann Creek and Toledo Districts, with over 6,000 acres of banana production. The industry began in the late 19th century when Belize was a British colony, with the first plantations established by American and British investors. The consistent rainfall, moderate heat, and humidity in Belize make it an ideal location for banana farming. The industry has had its ups and downs, facing challenges such as diseases and hurricanes, but it continues to be an important segment of Belize's economy, with exports steadily increasing over the years.

The Four Founding Farms

The Manatee Fruit Company was based in Soldier Creek/Manatee River, while the Belize Fruit Company and British Honduras Fruit Company operated near the Mullins River. The Walize Fruit Company was located in Monkey River. The consistent rainfall, moderate heat, and humidity in southern Belize provided the perfect climate for banana farming.

The success of these four founding farms led to the development of the banana industry in the Stann Creek region, with the town of Stann Creek becoming an important trade port. The British Honduras Syndicate played a significant role in consolidating many of the region's farms and eventually operating over 14,000 acres of banana farmland.

The banana industry in Belize has had its ups and downs, facing challenges such as diseases and natural disasters. However, it continues to be an important segment of the country's economy, with exports steadily increasing over the years.

The Banana Boom of Stann Creek

The arrival of the banana industry in the Stann Creek region of Belize put the town on the map and positioned it as an important trade port. The region's favourable climate, with consistent rainfall and moderate heat and humidity, made it perfect for banana farming.

The town of Stann Creek was settled in the 1820s by the Garifuna people, but the industry's arrival in the larger Stann Creek region helped elevate its status. The banana industry in Belize can trace its origins to four banana farms that began operations in the south of the country in the late 1800s. These companies were the Manatee Fruit Company, the British Honduras Fruit Company, the Belize Fruit Company, and the Walize Fruit Company. The industry was then moved to the Stann Creek Valley by the British Honduras Syndicate in the late 1880s.

The British Honduras Syndicate constructed a tramway from its headquarters at Melinda to a pier on the north side of Dangriga. As suppliers chartered by the British Crown, these companies were tasked with both production and shipment. A donkey-led tramway connected the remote settlement of Melinda to the growing Stann Creek Town. The British Honduras Syndicate eventually operated over 14,000 acres of banana farmland.

The banana business was booming by the early 20th century, and the United Fruit Company, formed from the merger of Minor Cooper Keith's operations with the Boston Fruit Company, became one of the biggest banana producers in the country. The company's influence in Belize, however, was short-lived due to the appearance of Panama Disease in 1916, which led to the demise of banana plantations.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the British Honduras Fruit Enterprises Company and the Caribbean Empire Company Limited saw some success with banana farming, and the development of new disease-resistant banana strains raised hopes of a farming renaissance. However, hurricanes in 1975 and 1978 caused significant setbacks, and the Banana Control Board was formed to help steer the industry.

Since then, the banana farming industry in Belize has been largely a private enterprise, with the Banana Growers Association serving as the guiding hand for the future of the industry. Banana exports have steadily increased, and in 2010, Belize exported approximately 4.5 million boxes of bananas, primarily to the European Union.

The Rise of the United Fruit Company

The United Fruit Company (later the United Brands Company) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit, primarily bananas, grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 from the merger of the Boston Fruit Company with Minor C. Keith's banana-trading enterprises.

The origins of the banana industry in Belize can be traced back to the late 1800s when four banana farms began operations in the south of the country. The industry was then moved to the Stann Creek Valley by the British Honduras Syndicate in the late 1880s. Another significant investor in Belize's banana industry was the United Fruit Company, which acquired and cleared 2,500 acres of land for banana cultivation in 1909.

The United Fruit Company itself was formed when Minor C. Keith approached Andrew Preston and Captain Lorenzo Dow Baker, who had founded the Boston Fruit Company after an experimental import of bananas from Jamaica. Keith proposed a merger, which was agreed upon, resulting in the creation of the United Fruit Company on March 30, 1899. The new company had complementary skills and interests, with Keith's railroad network and plantations in Central America, and Preston's plantations in the West Indies and fleet of steamships.

United Fruit needed to ensure a steady supply of bananas to its consumer market in the United States, a challenging task due to the perishable nature of the fruit. To achieve this, the company developed an extensive production and distribution network, including plantations, railways, ports, telegraph lines, and steamships. By 1954, the company owned 603,111 acres of land scattered across Central America and the Caribbean.

The company's expansion was facilitated by favourable conditions in Central America, where dictatorships repressed labour unions and provided generous concessions, such as land grants and tax incentives. In some countries, United Fruit was the major employer and the largest investor in infrastructure. The company's operations in Central America and the Caribbean have been highly controversial due to its immense control over the small republics' national economies and its involvement in local politics.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the company underwent a significant technological change, replacing the Gros Michel banana with the Cavendish variety, which was more resistant to disease and more productive. However, this variety had very thin skin, requiring the construction of air wires for transportation and cardboard plants for packaging.

In the 1960s, facing rising nationalist sentiments and stronger labour unions in Latin America, the company gradually sold its plantations and railroads, shifting its focus to international banana marketing. In 1970, United Fruit merged with Eli M. Black's AMK to become the United Brands Company, and in 1984, it was transformed into Chiquita Brands International.

The Birth of Private Banana Farming

The banana industry in Belize has experienced many ups and downs over the years. After the industry collapsed in the 1930s due to Panama disease and the Great Depression, there were multiple attempts to revive banana plantations in the mid-20th century, with varying levels of success. The formation of the Banana Control Board in 1975, followed by the Banana Growers Association, marked the beginning of private banana farming in Belize.

By the mid-1980s, the Banana Control Board had accumulated significant debts, leading the government to sell the land under cultivation to the private sector. This privatisation proved successful, with banana production almost tripling in five years. The Banana Control Board was reorganised and retained responsibility for marketing and research until 1991, when these responsibilities were passed to the Banana Growers' Association.

The shift to private banana farming has resulted in a move away from large-scale American and British-owned company production to smaller-scale, localised indigenous farming primarily targeted at the European market. In recent years, Belize has exported tens of millions of dollars worth of bananas, with the Banana Growers Association guiding the industry's future. As a coalition of 22 farms spread throughout Stann Creek and the neighbouring Toledo District, they have successfully implemented sustainable and manageable policies.

Belizean bananas are primarily exported to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, the United States, and Belgium. In 2022, Belize exported $41.7 million worth of bananas, making it the 30th largest exporter of bananas in the world. While the industry faces ongoing challenges, such as disease and fluctuations in market access, private banana farming remains a steady and important segment of Belize's economy.

Exports and Imports

Banana exports from Belize have increased over the years, from $37 million in 2003 to $67 million in 2011, and $41.7 million in 2022. In 2010, Belize exported around 4.5 million 40-pound boxes of bananas, primarily to the European Union. In 2022, the main destinations for Belize's banana exports were the United Kingdom ($28.1 million), Ireland ($11.2 million), Spain ($1.12 million), the United States ($710k), and Belgium ($650k). The United States was the fastest-growing export market for Belizean bananas between 2021 and 2022.

While banana production in Belize has historically been dominated by large-scale American and British-owned companies, the pattern has shifted towards smaller-scale localized indigenous farming primarily targeting the European market. The Banana Growers' Association, a coalition of 22 farms spread throughout Stann Creek and the Toledo District, currently manages the industry.

Belize's consistent rainfall, moderate heat, and humidity create an ideal climate for banana farming. The country's first banana farms were established in the south of Belize in the late 1800s by companies such as the Manatee Fruit Company, the British Honduras Fruit Company, the Belize Fruit Company, and the Walize Fruit Company. The industry was then moved to the Stann Creek region, which became a significant trade port for bananas.

In terms of imports, Belize imported $23.2k worth of bananas in 2022, making it the 155th largest importer of bananas in the world. The primary sources of banana imports for Belize are the United Kingdom ($22.7k) and Brazil ($515).

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