After flooding that destroyed 4,000 hectares of banana crops in northwestern Colombia, growers expect a new line of government credit to assist recovery, according to website RCN Noticias.

Roberto Hoyos, manager of national banana union Augura, told the website that farmers were hopeful after President Juan Manuel Santos made a recent visit to the Uraba Antioqueño region.

It is expected that government-owned Banco Agrario will acquit growers in the area from the need to pay duties, with the added possibility of a line of credit to assist production.

In November the Colombian government decided to borrow a $150 million emergency loan from the World Bank to cope with the disaster.

But despite the extreme weather Colombian banana growers predict annual production will only fall by 3%, RCN Noticias reported.

Photo: Acorbat

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com