Friday 7 December 2007

Iceland: Banana Republic


Todays interesting fact: Iceland is Europe's biggest banana producer. (Before you start getting pedantic, it's probably not the case now, but was maybe 5 years ago).

Technically doesn't that make the country a Banana Republic?!?

Before you start wondering how on earth this could be the case, here's the reason: The Icelandic government imposed severe trade restrictions on the importation of bananas into the country, therefore making home grown banana production in geothermal greenhouses viable. That's what happens when you start playing with the economy.

Thanks to the Iceland Eyes blog for the heads up.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

no. a banana republic is a specific term for central american countries that were, for all intents and purposes, run by the united fruit company during the 20th century. they are characterized by instability and inequality often having autocratic regimes that were puppets to the interests of the UFC and the united states.

Anonymous said...

very beautiful and colorful picture.

Anonymous said...

What you described never happened. Iceland has never exported bananas, it grows a few in greenhouses for experimental purposes but all banana consumption in Iceland is imported.
The Icelandic government never imposed a tax such as you describe on the import of bananas.

South Ockendon said...

Sigvaldi The blog said NOTHING about exporting bananas. It said "producer" and the comment is probably correct. The only place I've seen more bananas produced is Madeira. However, its main product is aluminium. You can see the Alcan factory about ten miles west of Reykjavik on your way to or from Keflavik airport

Kristinn said...

While we have never exported bananas, Icelandic banans, grown in greenhouses, were sold domestically in the 40's and 50's, when fresh fruit was rare and expensive.

South Ockendon said...

Last year, I ate bananas produced under glass at a farm I stayed in, near Reykolt a few miles from Geysir. The farmer told me bananas like to be at about 20-25C all the time and like a lot of DAYLIGHT rather than SUNSHINE. He told me they are easy to grow but he makes a better living growing capsicum (peppers), cucumbers and tomatoes. Iceland is a republic. It grows bananas. But it absolutely is NOT a Banana Republic. I am glad Kristinn made the comment that show bananas go back to WW2. I was also told that.

Petroglyph said...

Truth. The title is cute, but in context is unfortunately dismissive of the scale and scopeof harm done and still being done.

Petroglyph said...

Cool stories about real facts!
The writer of the article was careless of the human suffering involved in the term
Banana Republic, and in mentioning "playing with the economy" outs herself, or himself, as a bit dismissive and possibly shallow, if not downright childish and maybe even a shill for the banksters. Iceland wasn't "playing" when they showed global leadership in taking their country back from the thieving vampire cabal...like their ancestors, they are a formidable people, and when they rejected the white-collar slavers, they risked a lot, and showed the rest of the World a sane response to the thieving treachery of the Banksters.
Any discussion of their action taken on their economy needs to account for their refusal to be fleeced.

South Ockendon said...

I'm happy for Iceland to be a banana republic so long as it stays the most democratic country on earth. I go there every year and I know that most Icelanders (who have a devilish sense of humour as well as being the most literate people on the planet) would be totally amused at the idea of being cast as a banana republic and indeed would milk it for all it was worth which, regretably is eff all.

Anonymous said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_production_in_Iceland

Bana production in iceland is nearly non-existent.

Unknown said...

Iceland is one of the biggest banana exporter in the world but the word 'Banana Republic' is contrary to its meaning here.

Steve said...

Such a a nice blog! Have a look at this which i had read a few days back - Bimatoprost Online

Anonymous said...

Life is easy if some just tells you how.
2013 I got my orchids that never bloomed to bloom.
I’m sick from radiation exposure, so they gave me a prescription for marijuana. I cost too much.
2014 I got red tomato’s in June Washington state USA.
2014 I got marijuana to bloom and harvest twice. The same plants bloomed spring then the normal fall.
I got blocked for over 30 months on the internet.

I can get the Iceland greenhouse bananas to harvest every year using the sun. No electronic power from a man.

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Writer, botanical researcher.

This email, including any attachments, contains or may contain information that is considered proprietary by Gerald Lynn Sterkel and should be treated as such by each recipient.



Anonymous said...

Iceland Banana/Tomato project.
By Gerald Lynn Sterkel

The focus here is feeding the world research.
Where we are simple bananas, bloom in the Iceland greenhouses. The other fact is every two years they can be harvested.
Let’s look at that. Maybe you’re missing a trigger in your greenhouses you have time and light. The answer to getting the bananas to harvest every year is rotten fruit. When the fruit ripens, it gives off gases prompting the other fruit to ripen. Even in your refrigerator if you put avocados with other fruit the other fruit will rotten/ripen sooner.
Bananas are simple they are shipped green to most of the world then put in a room with Ethylene (C2H4, also known as ethene) found in ripening fruit. You get them ripe at your store because the gas is the major trigger for bananas to ripen.
Avocados according to research produce the most of these chemicals and is the main culprit for other fruit ripening and rotting sooner.
Adding fruit to the plants in the greenhouses will give you that yearly harvest. Let the fruit ripen on the tree and fall off. Collect the fruit and let it decay where the air intakes are.
Now avocado has the highest potential to do this, and the fruit flies are absent.
Who am I and why do you care? 2014 I got an annual plant bloom spring and then fall outside. That means I am no-one unless someone cares about getting two harvests a year. The plant is the problem it was marijuana.
\\ Getting your bananas to bloom every year could be as simple as adding fruit to the greenhouse to trigger bloom. //
I would go with avocados no fruit flies, and the highest amount of Ethylene C2H4 used to ripen even picked bananas.
Your tomatoes are missing trace elements. Don’t discount this because the plants were marijuana. (2015) While playing with trace elements I got, what I thought would kill the plants, leaves twisted and curled up then the plants produced a growth spurt. I worked with several elements all USDA FDA approved for human consumption, so I don’t know which ones did this or the one that did. Just research now.
Marijuana and Tomatoes are annual plants. If marijuana can produce two crops why not tomatoes? This is true of any plant or animal. Find the right missing trace element the crops can be bigger and have more nutritional value.
Good luck, never forget the prime directive “feed the world.”

new G+ The one I gave the Trump White House.
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