EM-Grown Bananas

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EM-Grown Bananas

Tanabe Farm in Ecuador grows delicious, safe bananas and exports them to Japan. Their bananas can be found in local convenient stores in Japan, and sold at higher price than other bananas. Despite of the price, “Tanabe Farm Bananas” brand is chosen by customers for the taste and food safety.

Tanabe farm is located in La Concordia Esmeralda, Ecuador in a 300m altitude and an extended area of 320Ha. The climate is warm all year round with a temperature that varies from 30 to 32℃ in daytime and 20 to 22℃ at night.

Mr. Tanabe is the second generation of a Japanese Banana farmer who immigrated to Ecuador after the World War II so that they can grow an original banana besides the popular Philippines bananas.

Mr. Tanabe describes his farming method as “nature circulation.” Bananas are easily damaged, and unshipped bananas are crushed and fermented, which will be reused as compost. Neither chemical fertilizers nor pesticides are used. There is no waste in this farm.

This farm is applying EM Technology on the entire land, combining the use of Activated EM・1, EM Bokashi and the help of earthworm to make compost.

Location: La Concordia Esmeralda, Ecuador

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EM Application

As they use EM organic fertilizers and do not use herbicides, Tanabe farm is covered with herbs that keep the humidity and best condition of soil.

Bananas that do not satisfy the standards, are mixed with residue of harvest such as leaves and brunches, and are conducted through a belt conveyor directly to a chopper.

The residues of harvest are destined to feed earthworms. High quality compost is possible with the help of earthworms. These pictures shown the earthworms compost site. The brown colored matter is the feed of worms. Each lane has about thousands worms per 1m2 that eat the organic feed and then, their excreta will be making compost enrich in nutrients.

After 6 months, the compost is ready at the bottom of the lane. To remove the compost, feed is spread on the top and when worms come up, the staff take all the worms and feed, and move to another lane.

They also use EM Bokashi and Activated EM・1 to ferment chicken manure or other organic matter as organic fertilizer.

Effects & Results

Harvesting is a hard work. Each bunch of bananas is carefully wrapped in bags to prevent the attack of insects or birds. Staff cut from the axis of the branch. Each bunch weighs approximately between 30kg and 45kg.

They use natural water from a clean river that is accumulated in a pond. This pond is rich in diversity fauna such as fish and otters. This water helps the irrigation system of the farm.

They also use water from the well that is filtered through activated charcoal and then disinfect with by an ozone process. The purified water is used to wash the final product so they can prevent the contamination of the banana with any harmful bacteria.

This farm is granted with the food security certification “GLOBAL GAP”. In Japan they sell their carefully grown and picked banana in Tanabe Farm as added-value products.

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