Davao, Philippines: Boycott Dirty Bananas Campaign

"Banana plantations utilize various agricultural production practices that harm people and environment. One of this is aerial spraying, where pesticides are sprayed to bananas using airplanes. Unfortunately, the pesticide does not just land on the bananas. Because of the unavoidable wind drift, the pesticide drifts to people, their houses, other crops, water springs, etc.

Plantations companies can utilize various ground spraying methods in using pesticides, with less drift, but refuse to do so inspite of the public clamor, because aerial spraying is cheaper for them. They don’t want their profit to be sliced, which is unavoidable in the beginning should they shift to ground spraying.

Davao City is the third place in the Philippines to ban aerial spraying. The first was the province of Bukidnon which banned the practice in 2001. Inspite of the ban, banana companies continue to be produced in Bukidnon. Davao City passed the ordinance in February 2007, but the ordinance' implementation was subsequently put on hold because the multinational plantation companies filed a case in court questioning the validity of the ordinance.

So in Davao and many other places in Mindanao, children on their way to school, families in their homes, plantation workers, the environment get routinely doused and exposed to pesticides.

An international campaign is necessary to enjoin the consumers of bananas to help change the practices of the plantations starting with the banning of aerial spraying in Davao and other banana producing areas in the Philippines.

The plantation companies only know the language of money. If they think that the profitability of their business will be compromised, that their buyers, their market are the oned demanding the change in practice, they there is increased chance that the companies will change their ways."

www.dirtybananas.org