The Royal Banana Monopoly (Italian: Regia Azienda Monopolio Banane, RAMB) was a state-owned enterprise founded in Mogadishu in 1935, to transport and market bananas harvested in Italian Somalia throughout the rest of the Italian Empire, directly under the control of the Colonial Ministry.[1] Even if the last transport of bananas to Italy happened in early 1940, it survived the first years of WW2 – and officially lasted until 1946.
 | |
Native name | Italian: Regia Azienda Monopolio Banane |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2 December 1935 |
| Defunct | 1946 (reestablished 1950) |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Italian Empire |
History
When the price of cotton plummeted after 1929, bananas became the most profitable crop in the empire. The RAMB had a small fleet of seven ships, including four newly commissioned banana boats which transported bananas quickly from the Horn of Africa to Europe. The RAMB worked directly with Italian banana producers in Giuba and Genale, who were represented by the Federation of Banana Growers of Somalia (FEBAS).[2]
In 1939, 450000 tn of bananas were transported to Italy by the four RAMB ships ("Ramb I, "Ramb II", "Ramb III","Ramb IV") and 3 other cargo ships (the "Capitan Cecchi", the "Capitan Bottego" and the "Duca degli Abruzzi").
Following Italy's entry into World War II, the banana boats were reclassified for naval use and saw service off the coast of Africa and in the Mediterranean. Of its seven ships, only Ramb III survived the war and was converted to a personal yacht for Josip Broz Tito, president of SFR Yugoslavia.
After Italy regained administrative control of Somalia in 1950, the government reactivated the Banana Monopoly as the Azienda Monopolio Banana (AMB) with the intent of revitalizing the heavily damaged agricultural industry.[3] The AMB continued to regulate the price and marketing of bananas in Somalia until its dissolution in 1964, four years after the country gained independence.[2]
Fleet
| Image | Name | Commissioned | GRT[4] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Ramb I | 6 December 1937 | 3,666 | Sunk, 27 February 1941 |
 | Ramb II | 6 September 1937 | 3,676 | Sunk, 12 January 1945 |
 | Ramb III | 1937 | 3,675 | Refloated post-war and reclassified as Yugoslav training ship Galeb |
 | Ramb IV | 1937 | 3,667 | Sunk, 10 May 1942 |
| Duca degli Abruzzi | 1933 | 2,314 | Scuttled, May 8, 1942 | |
| Capitano Bottego | 1933 | 2,316 | Sunk, April 6, 1941 | |
| Capitano A. Cecchi | 1934 | 2,320 | Sunk, May 8, 1941 |
References
Bibliography
- Guida dell'Africa Orientale, C.T.I., Milano 1938.
- Calendario Atlante De Agostini, Novara 1960.
- Banane Fasciste: breve storia della banana italica ai tempi dell'autarchia, Sergio Salvi, Affinità Elettive ed., Ancona 2018.