A San Diego-based fruit importer is seeing steady growth in demand for organic bananas, along with increased production land in its key sourcing countries of Mexico, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.

Organics Unlimited president Mayra Velazquez de Leon

During the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit in Anaheim last month, Organics Unlimited president Mayra Velazquez de Leon told www.freshfruitportal.com that 2014 had been a "boring year" in terms of weather, which was positive for supply.

"When it comes to demand, sustainability is the trend, and that's anything from organic production to healthier lifestyles and exercising a lot more; everybody is looking at their carbon footprint, what they're eating and looking at the labels," she said.

"I think the economy is getting a little better and thinking about your health makes sense, so people are willing to pay the extra money...and the difference in prices is not that much anymore."

It is often argued by industy leaders that there is no difference in the health benefits of organic and conventional produce, especially in the case of bananas where any residues from pesticide spraying would be on the peel rather than the fruit's flesh.

But for the Organics Unlimited executive, the difference goes far beyond the presence of chemicals on the crop's surface.

"It's not only on the peel but you're eating all the inputs you put in the plant," she said.

"So if you’re using chemical fertilizers they get absorbed by the soil and the roots, and of course that's what you’re eating. It's part of the fruit."

She said the amount of acreage dedicated to organic bananas was growing, particularly in the midwestern Mexican state of Colima. Additionally, the company's sourcing of organic plantains is on the rise too.

"I see a lot of plantains now in restaurants. Just to mention one, the Cheesecake Factory has a Jamaican dish with fried plantains, which is positive.

"It's growing, and it's not only for the Hispanic market but trying to cook something different to what we’re used to."

She said most of the company's bananas are shipped to the U.S. West Coast, as well as through the Nogales border crossing in Arizona to states like Texas and Colorado, but Organics Unlimited recently started importing fruit to the East Coast from the Dominican Republic.

"We are looking at a program in the Dominican Republic to support our GROW label," she said, referring to Organics Unlimited's 'Giving Opportunities and Resources to Growers' scheme, which functions in a similar way to fairtrade programs but without the expensive cost of certification.

"We were fairtrade certified, but we have our own social responsible label, which is the same. Fairtrade certifications are pretty expensive because they control the price, and their surcharge is above that - for our GROW program we only have a US$0.60 per box surplus and that's it.

"Fairtrade is a business where that's [certifying] all they do. They don't grow bananas, they don't market bananas, coffee or whatever. They just sell the seal, we don't do that."

She said when the company imported from a country, it always made sure there was some kind of program to support the GROW label, such as scholarships, dental clinics, vision clinics, microbusiness programs for teenagers and nurseries for kids.

"We do not charge administration fees, which everybody else does when it comes to corporate social responsibility."

www.freshfruitportal.com