{"id":136068,"date":"2024-10-30T20:46:56","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T19:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/?p=136068"},"modified":"2024-10-30T21:28:10","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T20:28:10","slug":"safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Safe Farms’: protecting Ecuador’s bananas against crime for export"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guayaquil, Ecuador, Oct 30 (EFE).\u2013 With over $3.5 billion in exports<\/strong> last year, Ecuador\u2019s banana industry<\/strong> is a key pillar of the country\u2019s economy. It has now readied a plan called “Safe Farms”<\/strong> to defend itself against the crime wave<\/strong> gripping Ecuador, which poses a severe risk to its banana production<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Safe Farms Protocol: A Strategy Against Crime<\/h3>\n

To counter this threat, the Ecuadorian Banana and Plantain Cluster<\/strong>, the world\u2019s top exporter of bananas, plans to implement \u201cSafe Farms.<\/strong>\u201d The security protocol is inspired by Colombia\u2019s approach<\/strong> to enhancing security on its coffee and banana plantations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Numerous banana farms in Ecuador are located in rural areas where some criminal gangs have established a presence. Like other major sectors, Ecuador’s<\/strong> banana industry has bolstered its security in the face of extortion, kidnappings, murders,<\/strong> and even drug contamination of exports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Photo of a worker washing bananas at Hacienda Celia Mar\u00eda, an organic banana producer in the municipality of Pasaje, in El Oro Province (Ecuador). EFE \/ Mauricio Torres<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Securing the Export Chain for European Markets<\/h3>\n

Due to Ecuador\u2019s high export volume to the European Union (EU)<\/strong>\u2014the primary market for Ecuadorian bananas, accounting for 30% of its overseas shipments\u2014this situation has severely impacted exporters. They stress the need for authorities and entities involved in transport and distribution<\/strong> to strengthen security<\/strong> across the entire supply chain<\/strong> to the final destination.<\/p>\n

Among the measures they are demanding are public policies<\/strong> mandating 100% scanning of export containers<\/strong> and protocols<\/strong> to standardize security at every link in the export chain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

They also highlight the need for purchasing countries in the EU<\/strong> to share responsibility, treating this as a public health crisis<\/strong> and ensuring the secure supply of a product essential to Europe\u2019s food security<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Three-Principle Approach to Security<\/h3>\n

The “Safe Farms<\/strong>” protocol by the Banana Cluster<\/strong> was presented last week in Guayaquil, Ecuador<\/strong>, by former Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano<\/strong> during the 21st edition of \u201cBanana Time\u201d<\/strong>, the largest international convention for the banana industry, organized by the Association of Ecuadorian Banana Exporters (AEBE)<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n

This proposal is built on three principles: proactive action<\/strong> within farms to deter threats, coordination<\/strong> among the private sector, industry groups,<\/strong> and state authorities<\/strong>, and a sustained medium- to long-term effort<\/strong> to strengthen institutional capacities.<\/p>\n

\"Aerial
Aerial photo of the banana plantations at Hacienda Celia Mar\u00eda, an organic banana producer in the municipality of Pasaje, in El Oro Province (Ecuador). EFE \/ Mauricio Torres<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Key Action Areas and Information Network<\/h3>\n

Based on a detailed analysis, the “Safe Farms” initiative includes three main action areas, including security training<\/strong> for each farm and the development of a solidarity and information network<\/strong> involving workers and transporters to generate key information for security-related decision-making.<\/p>\n

The protocol also calls for an information system<\/strong> allowing producers to share risk and reliability profiles<\/strong> of workers and suppliers. This will help companies avoid hiring individuals previously dismissed for security-related issues<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the plan will establish a communication network<\/strong> and biometric security systems<\/strong> for access to facilities. There will also be physical barriers<\/strong> around production spaces and restricted areas such as container loading and unloading zones<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Strategic Integrated Security Center (Ciepris)<\/h3>\n

The core of “Safe Farms” will be the Strategic Integrated Security Prevention and Response Center (Ciepris). <\/strong>The center\u00a0will maintain data on each farm, analyze incoming information, and develop preventive measures<\/strong> and support networks<\/strong>. It will also integrate with police and armed forces<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Molano told EFE<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

Collaboration and Long-Term Goals<\/h3>\n

The former Colombian defense minister<\/strong> emphasized the importance of coordination<\/strong>. \u201cWithout coordination, individual efforts are difficult,\u201d Molano remarked, stressing the inclusion of workers, suppliers, transporters,<\/strong> and state security forces<\/strong> in this collective effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne cannot restore a country\u2019s security without military and police forces<\/strong>… It\u2019s impossible to restore security with only private security<\/strong> and individual efforts,\u201d he added. Molano said Ecuador\u2019s situation won\u2019t be resolved quickly, as it took Colombia around 20 years<\/strong> to overcome the high levels of violence caused by guerrilla groups. EFE<\/p>\n

Agencia EFE is supported by AEBE<\/strong> in producing this content.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guayaquil, Ecuador, Oct 30 (EFE).\u2013 With over $3.5 billion in exports last year, Ecuador\u2019s banana industry is a key pillar of the country\u2019s economy. It has now readied a plan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198164071,"featured_media":136069,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[123771],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n'Safe Farms': protecting Ecuador's bananas for export - EFE Comunica<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ecuador's banana industry launches "Safe Farms," a security protocol to protect against crime and safeguard banana exports\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'Safe Farms': protecting Ecuador's bananas for export - EFE Comunica","description":"Ecuador's banana industry launches \"Safe Farms,\" a security protocol to protect against crime and safeguard banana exports","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/"},"author":{"name":"EFE","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/38c335f1ce4cd42430576ef5499343b8"},"headline":"‘Safe Farms’: protecting Ecuador’s bananas against crime for export","datePublished":"2024-10-30T19:46:56+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-30T20:28:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/"},"wordCount":718,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/rss-efef964592cc786552a9595e503f0012a4eb5152c55w.jpg","articleSection":["Economy"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/","url":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/","name":"'Safe Farms': protecting Ecuador's bananas for export - EFE Comunica","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/rss-efef964592cc786552a9595e503f0012a4eb5152c55w.jpg","datePublished":"2024-10-30T19:46:56+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-30T20:28:10+00:00","description":"Ecuador's banana industry launches \"Safe Farms,\" a security protocol to protect against crime and safeguard banana exports","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/safe-farms-protecting-ecuadors-bananas-against-crime-for-export\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/rss-efef964592cc786552a9595e503f0012a4eb5152c55w.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/rss-efef964592cc786552a9595e503f0012a4eb5152c55w.jpg","width":1920,"height":1281,"caption":"Photo of a worker washing bananas at Hacienda Celia Mar\u00eda, an organic banana producer in the municipality of Pasaje, in El Oro Province (Ecuador). 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