Aagriculture

Plantain prices going up

LA PRENSA

short supply:Heavy rains washed out part of this year’s plantain crop, driving up prices.1001484

Prices for plantains are sprouting upward because of rising costs for farmers and a shrinking supply of the starchy fruit, which originates from the tropilca regions of southeast Asia.

According to statistics from the Instituto de Mercadeo Agropecuario (IMA), prices have increased as much as 25 percent in some parts of the country.

One of the main reasons for the price increase has been the weather. Heavy rains and flooding in some areas during December and January. This forced farmers in areas such as Bocas del Toro to replant their crops, which are not yet ready for harvest.

Historically, plantains are available year-round, but they are more plentiful in the dry season. This year, however, that has not been the case.

Plantains are cheaper to grow in the rainy season when the fields do not need to be irrigated, but this year the season has been late in coming in some areas, pushing production costs higher.

Maximino Díaz, agricultural director of the Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario (Mida), said that prices should fall back somewhat when the rainy season starts.