'Safe Farms': protecting Ecuador's bananas against crime for export

Guayaquil, Ecuador, Oct 30 (EFE).– With over $3.5 billion in exports last year, Ecuador’s banana industry is a key pillar of the country’s economy. It has now readied a plan to defend itself against the crime wave gripping Ecuador, which poses a severe risk to its banana production.

To counter this threat, the Ecuadorian Banana and Plantain Cluster, the world's top exporter of bananas, plans to implement “Safe Farms,” a security protocol inspired by Colombia’s approach to enhancing security on its coffee and banana plantations.

Numerous banana farms in Ecuador are located in rural areas where some criminal gangs have established a presence. Like other major economic sectors in Ecuador, the banana industry has had to bolster its own security in the face of extortion, kidnappings, murders, and even drug contamination of exports.

Due to Ecuador’s high export volume to the European Union (EU)—the primary market for Ecuadorian bananas, accounting for 30% of its overseas shipments—this situation has severely impacted exporters, who stress the need for authorities and other entities involved in transport and distribution to strengthen security across the entire supply chain to the final destination.

Among the measures they are demanding are public policies mandating 100% scanning of export containers and protocols to standardize security at every link in the export chain.

They also point to the need for purchasing countries in the EU to share responsibility, treating this as a public health crisis and ensuring the secure supply of a product essential to Europe’s food security.

Coordination and sustained effort

The "Safe Farms" protocol by the Banana Cluster was presented last week in Guayaquil, Ecuador, by former Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano during the 21st edition of “Banana Time,” the largest international convention for the banana industry, organized annually by the Association of Ecuadorian Banana Exporters (AEBE).

This proposal is built on three principles: proactive action by the banana industry within farms to deter threats, coordination and collaboration among the private sector, industry groups, and state authorities, and a sustained medium- to long-term effort to strengthen institutional capacities.

Based on a detailed analysis, the "Safe Farms" initiative includes three main action areas, including security training for each farm and the development of a solidarity and information network that includes workers and transporters, generating key information for security-related decision-making.

It also calls for an information system that enables producers to share risk and reliability profiles of workers and suppliers, allowing companies to avoid hiring individuals previously dismissed by another company for security-related issues.

Additionally, the plan will create a communication network and biometric security systems for access to facilities and grounds, along with the need to establish physical barriers around production spaces and restricted areas such as container loading and unloading zones.

Strategic Integrated Center

The core of "Safe Farms" will be the Strategic Integrated Security Prevention and Response Center (Ciepris), which will maintain data on each farm, analyze incoming information, and develop preventive measures and support networks. The system will integrate with the police and armed forces.

Molano told EFE that this strategy is intended for medium-term implementation, with full operation expected within about five years, aiming to improve security conditions across the sector.

The former Colombian defense minister emphasized the importance of coordination. “Without coordination, individual efforts are difficult,” Molano remarked, including workers, suppliers, transporters, and state security forces in this collective effort.

“One cannot restore a country’s security without military and police forces... It’s impossible to restore security with only private security and individual efforts,” he added, noting that Ecuador’s situation won’t be resolved quickly, as it took Colombia around 20 years to overcome the high levels of violence caused by guerrilla groups.

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Photo of a worker washing bananas at Hacienda Celia María, an organic banana producer in the municipality of Pasaje, in El Oro Province (Ecuador). EFE / Mauricio Torres

Aerial photo of the banana plantations at Hacienda Celia María, an organic banana producer in the municipality of Pasaje, in El Oro Province (Ecuador). EFE / Mauricio Torres