Agricola Bananera Reybancorp S.A. in Ecuador is the first banana company
in the world to receive ECO-O.K. certification at all 33 of its locations. ECO-O.K. is the international ecolabel of the Better Banana Project, a program initiated in 1991 to halt deforestation by banana plantations.
Deforestation has stopped on farms that meet the 256 criteria, replaced by programs in
reforestation, soil conservation, waste management, and wildlife protection. Workers
receive good wages, proper safety equipment, improved housing, schools, training for
adults, and medical care. Pesticide use has declined dramatically, and the most dangerous chemicals have been outlawed.
Ecuador is the world’s largest banana exporter and Reybancorp is the country’s second
largest banana company. The company has planted hundreds of thousands of trees and
restored about 7,054 hectares in the some of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. The
company foundation supports 20 schools and is helping small banana farmers meet
certification requirements. “For Reybancorp, the main benefit of the program has been in
increased worker morale and safety,” says President Rafael Wong. “Certified farms are
cleaner and safer – and production is higher.”
More than 160 farms are certified, totaling more than 120,000 acres in Ecuador,
Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras. About 10 percent of the
bananas produced in Latin America and the Caribbean are now Better Bananas – more
than any other certification program. Most of the bananas are sold in Europe, where
people demand progressive farming practices.
For more information: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org
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