Today we visited plantations in Sarapiquí that grow and export tropical fruits such as bananas and pineapples! We started by visiting a banana producing plantation, in which they showed us how bananas are grown and what methods the company upholds in order to maintain sustainability. We then had lunch, and with that, we had the chance to help prepare the patacones for everyone to eat! The food was delicious!
After lunch, we headed over to Paraíso Orgánico for a pineapple plantation tour! There, we were able to learn all about pineapples and watch how they are grown, as well as learn about the great value that pineapples have in the Costa Rican economy. Costa Rica is the main producer of pineapples in the world, so pineapples are a big deal! Our tour guide cut fresh pineapple for us, directly from the plants, and it was so delicious! I am not sure I can settle for pineapples in the U.S. anymore after trying these.
As we know, coffee is a significant part of Costa Rican culture and economy. However, it is important to recognize that bananas and pineapples are pretty high up there as well. In terms of complexity and reach, bananas and pineapples are similar to coffee. Like coffee, both fruits require lots of treatment and care. There are many things that workers need to watch out for in order to produce the best quality products, and this requires a lot of patience and dedication. Banana plants, for example, need to be examined for infections because one plant getting infected can cause the whole plantation to wipe out. In addition, pineapples need to be treated and kept at the proper water level. The roots of a pineapple will rot if the water is not drained through small channels. These are also some of the risks that banana plantations and pineapple plantations face. In order to mitigate them, the plantation workers are doing their best to create sustainable methods to reduce risks and prevent the situations from occurring. Nevertheless, the supply chains are also different. Coffee is grown in many distinct areas in Costa Rica, allowing each company to produce their own version of coffee due to independent variables like elevation, temperatures, and plantation size. The differences in the companies causes the coffee produced to also be different in each area, and allows for everyone to have a spot in the coffee industry. With bananas and pineapples, however, you can’t alter how the fruits are going to turn out. There isn’t much someone can do to make fruit taste different. Therefore, small Costa Rican plantations like Paraíso Orgánico, have to compete against other Costa Rican companies like Chiquita, which is way larger.
The banana plantation practices sustainability by growing other fruits and vegetables in areas where there is extra space on the plantation. The pineapple plantation uses herbicides to cover their hectors and protect their pineapple plants instead of covering them with plastic. As Costa Rican companies, they both complete their mission of producing delicious produce and giving back to their community by hiring immigrant workers, supporting locals, and using sustainable methods all throughout!
If I were a plantation worker, I would prefer to work on the pineapple plantation because I love pineapples! I would also like to work in a rainy, cooler area. Since pineapples can only be grown in rainforests due to their high water intake, I would choose to work there if I had to.
