From: Ray Norman Date:
Friday, 14 January 2022 at 6:41 pm
To: Rosie Godwin
Cc: Hilary Opray
Subject: RE: Banana Stems & Flowers as food source
Good evening,
Thank you for your prompt response. I will think a little on what you say and the context within which you do. I’ll respond in due course once I’ve done some more investigation. I guess I’ll have some more questions. The first that comes to mind is, where is your organisation ‘Strategic Plan’ published and when was it framed and last reviewed?
Regards,
Ray
From: Rosie Godwin
Date: Friday, 14 January 2022
To: Ray Norman
Cc: Hilary Opray Subject:
RE: Banana Stems & Flowers as food source
Dear Ray,
Thank- you for your interesting email. I think you make a lot of valid points and I agree with most of your sentiments. In answer to your questions
• Are you aware of any producers exploiting ‘banana stems’ – the pithy core of the stem – as a ‘food source’? .... Yes a very small minority
• Are you aware of any producers producing and marketing green banana’s as a ‘vegetable’ rather than a fruit? ... Yes also a minority, usually small growers often selling to markets but some also supply Sydney and Melbourne markets to meet demand from different cultural groups.
• Is your organisation at all interested in marketing the broad spectrum of ‘banana products’ ? ... Yes but there is low demand and low supply so most of our marketing effort which is run through Hort Innovation’s marketing programs is about the 95% of Cavendish the industry supplies
• Is your organisation at all interested in, or involved in, marketing Robert & Krista Watkins’s ‘banana flour’ innovation to a wider audience?... Of course we are well aware of what they do but they do all their own marketing and development as they are just one grower
• Is your organisation at all interested in undertaking research into the ‘cultural dimension’ of the ‘banana plant’ in broad context? ... I would need more information on what you mean exactly. Our research fund is currently very tied up with dealing with banana pests and diseases. ABGC does not fund any research as all our R&D is administered by Hort Innovation.
• Is your organisation at all interested in promoting ‘banana fibre’ as a ‘textile’ or a component in ‘paper pulp production’? ... People have contacted me in the past about banana fibre as a textile or pulp and I think its good to explore value adds or alternative income streams. We have also supported projects about banana wax. It might be good to have an article about alternative uses in our Australian Bananas magazine. There is no established market or supply chain in Australia for these products yet.
• Is your organisation at all interested in promoting ‘banana fibre’ as a component in ‘construction material production’? ... as above
• Indeed given the environmental impact of ‘banana production’, is your organisation at all interested in research that considers ‘the banana plant’ in its broad context ? ... Yes I am interested in all of the above.
Hope this helps Regards
Rosie
Rosie Godwin PhD Research and Development Manager | Australian Banana Growers’ Council
Unit 3, South Gate East Commercial Centre
250 Sherwood Road,
P: 07 3278 4786 ... M: 0407 746 469
–*–
From: Ray Norman Sent:
Thursday, January 13, 2022 7:46 PM
To: Rosie Godwin Cc: Hilary Opray
Subject: Banana Stems & Flowers as food source
Dear Dr Godwin,
As someone who grew up in Northern NSW with family engaged in the ‘banana industry’ such as it was when I was when I was living there until I moved to Sydney in the1960s. Somewhat backgrounded by this I have an interest in the cultural dimension of the banana plant.
I’d be telling you nothing in saying that bananas are reported as being Australia's most popular fruit. However Tasmania’s apple growers might have an argument with that. Apparently in 2017 it was discovered that nine out of 10, or 94%, purchased bananas. Well that’s the fruit and I guess ripe yellow bananas … NOT green bananas or plantains I suspect –and more is the pity.
After the coconut palm, bamboo and hemp, the banana plant must rank very highly in the ‘usefulness stakes’ albeit that it seems Australian agriculture still suffers from the ‘Post WW2 paradigm’ that says, asserts even, ‘chemical fibres’ – produced by Dupont et al – trump organic fibres sources. The cost of this ‘cultural paradigm’ weighs heavily on our economies and their sustainability – not to mention environmental sustainability. Apart from ‘the banana’ these plants are not seen as ‘CROPS’ in Australia.
Along with all this comes the delusions of ‘superior Western civilisations’ etc. etc. etc.
Australia arguably is a recalcitrant status quo ‘cultural landscape’ in so much as it is generally PERIcolonial Australians and their ‘enterprises and value systems’ that are disinclined to be expansive when it comes to resource management and resource recovery – and especially so in a diverse and/or multi-cultural dimension.
Government at all levels – Local, Regional & National – are similarly disinclined, on the evidence, to regard what is imagined as ‘waste’ as a resource.
Seeking to exploit the ‘resources’ considered ‘waste’ all too often end up wasted in LANDfill involves a mind shift that is typically seen as a ‘bridge too far’ – a bureaucratically untenable concept given what bureaucracies have invested in the ‘status quo’.
So, what I’ve said here pretty much puts where I’m coming from in a nutshell and should, I trust, provide some context for my questions.
I’ve skimmed through your organisation’s online publications to put my questions in context and if I’ve missed something I apologise. Aside from this ‘the banana’ sometimes figures in my research as a cultural geographer.
Initially my questions to you are:
• Are you aware of any producers exploiting ‘banana stems’ – the pithy core of the stem – as a ‘food source’?
• Are you aware of any producers producing and marketing green banana’s as a ‘vegetable’ rather than a fruit?
• Is your organisation at all interested in marketing the broad spectrum of ‘banana products’?
• Is your organisation at all interested in undertaking research into the ‘cultural dimension’ of the ‘banana plant’ in broad context?
• Is your organisation at all interested in promoting ‘banana fibre’ as a ‘textile’ or a component in ‘paper pulp production’?
• Is your organisation at all interested in promoting ‘banana fibre’ as a component in ‘construction material production’?
• Indeed given the environmental impact of ‘banana production’, is your organisation at all interested in research that considers ‘the banana plant’ in its broad context ?
I would appreciate any information you might provide and I look forward to your response.
Regards,
Ray
–*–
From: Hilary Opray Date:
Thursday, 13 January 2022 at 3:59 pm
To: Ray Norman
Subject: Banana Stems
Hi Ray
As discussed, below is Dr Rosie Godwin’s email address: ... rosie.godwin@abgc.org.au
Rosie may not get back to you immediately as she is often in online meetings.
Kind regards
Hilary
Hilary Opray
Administration Officer | Australian Banana Growers’ Council
M: 0488 403 088 P: 07 3278 4786
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