From the Field to Store
I was quite fascinated with the process
of getting the bananas from the field to the store. It takes nine months to grow a stalk of
bananas. When it is cut down a new baby has formed and will become a new tree. In
Costa Rica the fields are not neatly planted flat fields. The terrain is hilly
or rather lumpy with lots of ups and downs, although nothing clean cut like for
irrigation.
As the stalk of bananas begins to grow
they are covered with a permeated cloth bag that allows the sun and water to
penetrate but keeps the bugs and animals away. Poisonous snakes inhabit the
banana fields so the workers wear high heavy rubber boots.
The banana tree with the stalk attached
is cut down with a huge sharp machete and put on a hook on an overhead conveyor
rail. When they enter the facility they are hosed down with a power stream of
water from hoses. Then the banana hands or clusters are separated with what
looked like a plastic plate. They continue around on the overhead belt to a
fellow with a very sharp tool who cuts each cluster from the stalk. The
clusters are thrown into huge vats of flowing water. They eventually make it to
a fellow who removes the clusters and places them in large specially designed
plastic trays. Finally women bag the clusters in plastic logo bags and pack
them in the well-known banana cartons ready for shipment.
The banana stalks are removed from the
overhead belt after all the fruit is removed and are loaded into large trailer
trucks. A fascinating new industry has been created: banana paper! The paper is a relatively new industry.
Apparently parts of the mango and coffee trees are also used for making paper.
This saves a lot in the land fill.
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