Don Santos Talavera “Pure quality banana harvest from my farm”

This producer is located in Sn Juan de Rio Coco in the community of San Antonio de Arriba, his farm is called Las Flores and was incorporated into the Burke Agro organic management system in January 2020. It is currently under ROC status Silver and is the producer that delivers the bananas with the best weight. Average weight 159g/banana and length 15cm/banana

His banana plantation is in association with coffee cultivation and he manages 48 hectares in total of coffee, of which 15 hectares are bananas in association.

The quality of his soil has greatly improved with the use of the regenerative practices he uses.

The mix of conditions, climate, temperature, height and variety of organic material available for mulch in the soil makes the richness of nutrients more available, in addition to the amount of microorganisms present in the soil, increases the availability of nutrients.

How is your family conformed?

Santos Ulises Talavera Araúz, is 50 years old

Married: Mileidy Cruz, who is pregnant. He has 7 children from two previous marriages.

1 daughter, 32 years old, Julissa Talavera Espinoza

1 son, 30 years old, Ulises Enmanuel Espinoza

1 daughter, 28 years old, Rocío Talavera Espinoza

1 son, 23 years old, Douglas Talavera Espinoza

1 daughter, 27 years old, Alina Lucia Talavera Centeno

1 daughter, 19 years old, Karla Marcela Talavera Centeno

1 2-year-old son, Ian Antonio Talavera Centeno

What condition was your house before, and what condition is it now?

I have made improvements to the roof of the farm house and also a warehouse to store the banana and plantain bunches. It already has post-harvest infrastructure to guarantee the safety and quality of the product to be delivered.

Would you like your children to maintain organic coffee and banana production?

Yes, since it is a job that has been developed from generation to generation and I want my children to follow the legacy of their grandparents and parents in managing the farm.

What regenerative practices do you practice and why?

Preparation of organic fertilizer
Preparation of insecticides/fungicides in the production unit, such as calcium sulfide broth.
Living barriers
Construction of dams
Reforestation
Incorporation of stubble
Banana plant leaves
Weeding in plants

I have carried out all of these practices because I have been trained, which I have been implementing on the farm and good results have been obtained.

Why do you think that the bananas from your plot have a better weight and size than the rest of the producers in the area?

Because the farm is located at a higher point than the other farms of producers that deliver to the company, this allows the bananas to develop with greater size and weight.

Another reason why the bananas from my farm are of better quality is that the bananas are handled.

How many workers/people support you in management? Is it the same amount as before or do you now have more or fewer assistants? How many are family labor?

Previously it only used 3 to 4 people to work the farm, currently there are 6 to 7 workers and they are all from the San Antonio community.

What did you do with the bananas before selling to BASA, do you know if the bananas make a profit? He sold it to Salvadorans, who paid a lower price.

Do you know how much money bananas generate?

Approximately USD2,328/year

How much area did it have before and now how many does it have? Has its area increased or decreased?

When I started working with BASA I had 10 Mz, I increased it, renewing the banana areas and currently I have 21 Mz.

What do you recommend to producers to have a quality farm or plantation?

Provide good management to banana cultivation because traditionally they only manage coffee and bananas are only used as shade, apply organic fertilizer, remove leaves and weed the plantations.

Do you think your floor is special?

Yes, because it is a very productive soil, I have obtained good harvests in different areas that I have been working on on the farm such as coffee, bananas, turmeric, ginger.

How do you get your harvest? Do you have vehicles, animals or do you pay someone for transportation?

I have a truck in which I transport the bananas from the farm to the collection point in San Juan de Río Coco.

What do you think is the best benefit of working with BASA?

Having a better market for the product, the training that the company provides and being in a certification that allows us to support the farm workers as it is fair trade.