Bananas for health, profit
Posted: 1:27 AM | Sept. 02, 2005
Ernesto M. Ordoñez
Inquirer News Service
AFTER you read the information below, you may not think of bananas the same way again.
We know the expression: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!" But with apples being imported and draining our foreign exchange, the local banana -- which provides jobs to thousands -- is really the better alternative.
Health benefits
When you compare a banana to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus and five times the vitamin A and iron. It is rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.
Banana is high in potassium yet low in salt, so it can help address high blood pressure problems. The US Food and Drug Administration has allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the banana's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke. A research published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by stroke by as much as 40 percent.
Bananas are high in fiber and can therefore help restore normal bowel action without resorting to laxatives. For ulcers, the banana is used as a dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture. It neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
For stress, its high level of potassium helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates the body's water balance. Regarding overweight, the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort foods like chocolate and sweet products. In a study covering 5,000 hospital patients, the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. To control blood sugar levels, snacking on high carbohydrate foods like banana instead of sugar-rich foods is recommended. Even for insect bites, rubbing the affected area with the inside of the banana skin may be more successful at reducing swelling and irritation than chemical-based creams.
Economic significance
When describing Philippine agriculture, it is often said that rice, corn and coconut occupy 30 percent each of our land area, with sugar occupying 4 percent. Banana is rarely mentioned. A more accurate picture is provided by Francisco A. Moog, the international coordinator of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) regional working group, on Grazing and Feed Resources for Southeast Asia, and a Department of Agriculture (DA) division chief. Last June 2005, he published the following table:
Area, production and value of five important crops:
Crop Area Production Value of Production (thousand (million tons) (billion pesos) Hectares) Rice 4,006 13.5 118.0 Corn 2,410 4.6 32.5 Coconut 3,214 14.1 38.7 Sugar 389 24.0 21.8 Banana 410 5.4 30.1
From the above table, we see that banana covers a greater area and has a production value 50 percent more than sugar. And yet it has received less attention than sugar, partly because the sugar industry is much better organized.
Today, bananas are the main fruit in international trade. It ranks first in the world in terms of volume. Francisco Lorenzo, vice president of the Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters based in the southern province of Davao, says there is much profit potential in the banana industry.
He says, "There are many more small farmers joining this industry. The challenge is for the government to help ensure that even for the small farmers, the high quality of our world-class banana exports is maintained and even improved."
George Yacatin, president of the Banana Industry Development Association based in the northern province of Cagayan and a leader of the Chamber of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industries in Northern Mindanao, says: "Priority be given to farmers who need less capital per hectare of banana. While we believe cavendish banana production should continue to receive the P520,000 per hectare loan it needs, we suggest that a much larger portion of the loanable funds be given to lacatan and latundan banana production, which only needs P220,000 and P130,000 per hectare respectively. In addition, the five-percent added service provider fee for the current 22-percent annual interest charged on Quedancor loans should be addressed so that the interest rate decreases to 17 percent."
A suggestion given by banana farmers from the Alyansa Agrikultura [Agricultural Alliance] is for the local government units (LGUs) to direct some of their underutilized agriculture extension workers to teach pest and disease control in banana production areas.
A banana a day will not only keep the doctor away. With more support from the Department of Agriculture and LGU units, it will also provide jobs and increased incomes to impoverished farmers in an area that provides one of the highest returns on investment in agriculture today.
For inquiries and suggestions, e-mail agriwatchphil@yahoo.com or call or fax +632 8516635.
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