History and Politics
The extensive and intensive production of the banana—the conventional production—now has the political protection of the Costa Rican government and the dictates of commerce in the world market. In Costa Rica, banana production is fundamentally a transnational industry, in the hands of corporations, not Costa Ricans. Although about half of the production is conducted by national companies, practically the entire commercial process is controlled, through a large oligopoly, by a few transnational corporations (3 companies control close to 100% of the market: Standard Fruit Co., BANDECO, and COBAL) who then sell the product through their respective brands: Dole, Del Monte, and Chiquita.
In addition, because of the importance the banana industry has in the export sector, the government has conceded great economic and tax privileges to the businesses, but beyond receiving a salary, neither the local populations, nor the local governments—including the central government itself—receive the majority of the economic benefits. In the following links you can find detailed information about these aspects of production and the problematic banana industry in Costa Rica.
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