Sir, - In an Editorial on January 30th you give some account of the intention of the US to dominate the world trade in bananas by eliminating the competition of small-scale producers. Ireland has a particular interest in opposing this attempted monopoly.
In the 1950s, when we were beginning to find our feet as an exporting country, the Caribbean opened up its markets to Irish products: butter, poultry, bacon, potatoes as well as textiles and other manufactures were welcomed by the merchants of Trinidad, Grenada, St Vincent, St Lucia and Dominica. These islands, almost completely dependent on their banana plantations, and on their traditional links with the markets in Europe, would be put out of business by a US monopoly, although they hold no more than three per cent of the world trade. It is right that our voice should be heard now in Geneva where the issue is under review by the World Trade Organisation. -Yours, etc., W. H. Walsh,
Avoca Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.