Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
table 3.1.
Source of Tela Railroad Company Banana Exports, -
Total Fruit Exported
Fruit Purchased
In millions of
In millions of
Percentage of
Year
bunches
bunches
total exports
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Source: Robert E. Whedbee, ''A Brief, Basic Banana Industry Report,'' , U.S.
Diplomatic Post Records - Honduras, roll .
this trend: a majority grew more than 20 hectares and several individuals
planted more than 50 hectares of bananas. Two San Pedro Sula planters,
Domingo Galván (350 hectares) and Henry F. Panting (180 hectares), cul-
tivated large fruit farms.
Many of the cultivators recorded by the 1926 survey grew bananas
exclusively, but a larger number raised one or more additional crops, in-
cluding forage grasses, plantains, sugarcane, maize, and coconuts. Poqui-
terosfarmingonetothreehectarestendedtocultivatebananasexclusively.
Farmers with a bit more land tended to diversify. For example, Cecilio
Machadogrewbananas,maize,rice,andsugarcaneon7hectaresinPuerto
Cortés; his neighbor Petronilo Aguirre grew bananas, corn, and ''other''
crops on 7 hectares. Inés García of Omoa grew bananas, plantains, and
zacate (pasture) on a 5-hectare plot. Most of the wealthy finqueros in-
dependientes in San Pedro Sula cultivated extensive areas of zacate and
sugarcane in addition to bananas. In the three municipalities with the
