A banana is a delicate fruit. Every time a bunch or a hand of bananas is handled, loaded or unloaded, the chances of bruising, finger scratch marks, latex stains and ultimately crown rot increase – defects that lower the grade and thus the price.
By Jasper Raats, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
Efficient handling and packing make the difference between “just another carton of bananas” and a top-quality product that fetches a good price on the market floor.
Father and son Sergio and Miguel Escalante of the Colombian company Centro Aceros recently shared their insights on banana handling for optimal profitability at Du Roi Laboratory’s annual banana workshop, attended by growers from across Africa.
Their company is a global leader in banana handling and packaging systems – from plantation to supermarket shelf. Miguel told the story of an Argentine banana farmer who managed to reclaim market share from imported bananas by focusing on strict handling protocols and a tidy, well-organised packline.
For South African growers, this shows that process discipline and a clean, efficient packhouse can unlock significant value.
The Escalantes demonstrated how cableways and standardised packline practices reduce bruising and scratches, increase Class 1 yield, and keep labour and fuel costs low.
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Cableways vs Trailers on Dirt Roads
Cableways are not new in the banana industry, and a few large South African growers already use them, but Sergio believes you don’t need to be a large-scale banana producer to benefit from this technology. This is how you preserve quality, increase efficiency and gain access to high-value markets.
Cableways prevent double handling, he explained. The bunch is hooked onto the cable in the field and glide directly to the “fruit patio”, as Sergio and Miguel call the transition area between the cableway and the packhouse, where it is prepared for packing. “This is exactly where you start gaining profitability through quality.”
Sergio said that Latin American export countries have used cableways as standard for transporting bananas out of plantations for decades. The reasons are practical:
- No bumpy tractor-trailer rides on twin-track roads, and therefore fewer scratches and bruises.
- Lower fuel, tyre, oil and filter costs. Maintenance consists mainly of alignment and basic system checks.
- Because cable routes are narrow, a farmer needs less space for roads in the plantation. On average, about 4% extra planting area is gained.
- Typical improvements of 15–25% in export quality are achievable when cableways replace dirt-road transport.
“The little things matter,” he said. “Every unnecessary touch you avoid, or every smooth transition in the process, adds up and results in more Class 1 fruit.”
Local Solutions
There is still no local distributor for Centro Aceros’ cableway systems or parts in South Africa, but Miguel says the company has sold and installed systems worldwide, including in South Africa.
“We usually send a starter parts kit with everything needed for basic maintenance, and can ship specialised components when required.”
He warned that theft of cableway trollies is a reality in some countries, and growers must plan accordingly. He advised farmers to keep basic bearings and related items on hand, noting that the bearings are standard sizes and usually available locally from co-ops or parts suppliers. (A grower in the audience who uses the cableway system confirmed this.)
Cableway systems are used not only to transport bananas from plantation to packhouse after harvest, but also to move fertiliser and other materials needed in the fields. These systems replace traditional roads and trucks almost completely, according to Sergio.
It’s not only a banana solution either. Of the company’s more than 1 000 customers worldwide, some use cableways for oil palm, cut flowers, avocados and citrus.
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A Packline That Keeps Moving
In the packhouse, operations should run like an assembly line in an automative plant, Miguel said.
Everyone involved must understand their role and be well trained for it. There must be clearly defined operating procedures that everyone follows. “That’s how you maintain quality, increase efficiency and gain access to higher-value markets.”
When bananas are de-handed – when the “hands” are cut from the bunch – trained workers must know whether to cut large, medium or small hands. Workers use sharp, curved knives and make straight cuts that help the latex drain faster. This improves later treatment against fungal diseases.
Instead of conveyor belts, Miguel’s team uses long water flumes with underwater jets that create water flow and move the cut banana hands along. Hands are always lifted by the crown and placed crown-down in the water so that the latex drains downward, away from the fingers (the bananas).
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Quality Control
At the end of this first water bath is the quality control point. Bananas that are rejected move onto a motorised reject conveyor. Hands of bananas that meet the quality standard are further divided into smaller hands, where necessary, before being placed into the second long bath, again crown-down.
The second bath is 10 to 12 metres long to ensure 10 to 20 minutes of latex drainage. Miguel explained that if the latex does not drain completely, it drips onto other bananas in the same carton and causes staining. In addition, the fungal treatment binds less effectively where latex has not drained properly, promoting crown rot.
In subtropical areas, fruit density is higher in winter and bananas tend to sink. Miguel says growers can place foam between the fingers or increase water density slightly with salt so the hands float more easily.
After the second bath, size and quality grouping is finalised. Hands are sorted by finger count and weight so that the next workers in the packline receive hands of exactly the right weight to maintain a fast work pace.
Bananas that do not meet the quality standard go back via a small return flume for reworking.
Bananas that pass are placed in containers with three compartments – for small, medium and large fruit. Hands are packed crown-up in these containers, and each compartment weighs 18 kg. This helps packers maintain a steady rhythm and prevents cartons from being repeatedly adjusted on the scale to reach 18 kg.
From here, anti-fungal treatment for crown rot is applied in spray rooms, after which packers place the fruit into cartons for shipping. Packers work between two conveyors: cartons and lids on one side, and the pre-weighed 18 kg containers of bananas on the other. The final step is palletising, after which pallets are loaded onto trucks for transport.
When farmers follow these steps consistently and accurately in their packhouses, according to Miguel, it is easy for a farm to achieve the goal of 95% Class 1 fruit and build a reputation for reliable, high-quality produce that commands higher prices.
