In Ecuador’s Banana Fields, Child Labor is Key to Profits

Banana, which was introduced to the New World by the Europeans in the 16th century, has become a staple export of Central America. Globalization of the banana market may have created more jobs for the poor, but the bulk of the earnings tend to go to the middlemen and giant retailers. As a New York Times front page report from Ecuador says, “Each 43-pound box of bananas purchased here by exporters for $2 or $3 goes for $25 in the United States or Europe. The Ecuadorean grower makes 12 cents on the dollar.” The article says, “The problem has been made more durable still by the competition that comes with a consolidated global market. Pressures on businesses to be efficient and profitable are often passed on to the world's most vulnerable population, its poorest children.” A similar situation can be found in a great number of consumer products sold round the world. And producers of primary commodities getting the wrong end of the bargain is nothing new. What is new, though, is reports like this in major publications and the growing activism of NGOs worldwide protesting against such a race to the bottom. Will these have any impact? - YaleGlobal