Banana farms cause health issues in Laos, Thailand

The excessive use of chemicals on banana plantations operated by Chinese companies has not only affected Laos but also neighbouring Thailand.

A researcher from the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI), DrPalikoneThalongsengchanh, told Vientiane Times yesterday that farmers working on banana plantations in Thailand could also be at risk for health problems like those in Laos if the use of chemicals was not properly controlled.

According to a recent report in the Chiang Rai Times , workers at Hongta International, a Chinese-owned banana plantation in Chiang Rai province's Phraya MengRai district, have been tested and found to have unusually high levels of chemicals in their blood.

The Chinese firm leased about 440 hectares of land in Phraya MengRai district to grow Cavendish bananas before the PhayaMengRai Hospital was assigned to conduct blood tests on 43 of the plantation's 200 workers.

The test results showed the health of 10 of the workers' was at risk, while 13 already had unsafe contamination levels.

The pro liferation of banana farms by Chinese companies in the Mekong countries including Laos and Thailand is being driven by growing demand in China.

The Chinese companies deal directly with local farmers, leasing land from them and hiring them to work on the farms and spray the chemicals.

In Laos, farmers welcomed the Chinese companies as they could earn more money than by doing their normal work.

A survey undertaken by NAFRI and unveiled on March 31 noted there were several reasons why Chinese companies wanted to establish banana plantations in Laos. One was the low cost of land leases, the second was low labour costs, and the third was the lax control of chemical us e.

The survey also found that 8 percent of banana farmers in northern Laos reported becoming sick over the past six months, but only 39 percent went to a hospital.

About 22 percent of those farmers asked the companies to pay for their treatment, but there have been no reports of fatalities linked to the use of chemicals.

The Lao government has called for the authorities to review the effectiveness and efficiency of banana plantations in the north, particularly in Bokeo and Oudomxay provinces, before more such projects are approved.

DrPalikone said one of the most important things is to step up the monitoring of chemical use on banana farms to minimise the social and environmental impacts.

“I think our problem is that we have failed to manage the use of chemicals on banana farms, which has adversely affected the health of local people,” he said.

In February this year, researchers from Chiang Mai University and NAFRI met to discuss banana plantations in Laos and Thailand and how they affected farmers.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update April 20, 2016)

http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/FreeContent/FreeConten_Banana.htm