Banana Plantation

written Monday, 21 May 2007

 

 

There is a banana plantation about a kilometer from my village, where many of the village men work.  It also attracts migrant workers from all over Senegal and neighboring countries.  One of my little brothers took me to visit it yesterday, and then after we got back I went to ask one of the village men some questions about it.

 

Here is what I learned:

 

The people who work in the plantatiion are paid 35% of the selling price of every ton of bananas that comes out of their plot on the plantation (the area they are responsible for planing, watering, picking, etc.).   The other 65% of the profits go to the owner, who has to cover costs like fuel for the irrigation pumps.  Before harvest time comes, the owner advances or loans money out of the expected sales to the workers, so that they have income throughout the year so they can buy food, etc.   Then at harvest time when the bananas are sold the workers are paid the remainder of their share of the profits, which the man I was talking to said would usually be several hundred dollars, which is quite a lot of money in this part of the world.

 

The bananas are sold to middlemen, who re-sell them throughout Senegal and neighboring countries such as The Gambia, Guinea, and Mali.

 

The bananas are about half the size of normal American bananas, and when they are ripe their skins are green and starting to turn black.   They aren't as sweet as American bananas, but they still make a good snack eaten raw.  My family has also cut them up and fried them a few times (and last night added them to a sort of macaroni salad, which was reeally good); when they're cooked, they somehow transform into tasting like potatoes, which is weird but good.