Situation of the field: The example of the banana, which breaks production records, but is in crisis

2024-02-10 11:36:49

He field is outraged and he has many reasons for it. The data reflect that large companies in the primary sector in Spain are growing and improving their profit margins while small and medium-sized businesses they have more and more trouble resisting.

Today I am going to give the example of banana. Yes, the Canary Islands banana, so delicious. Look closely at the numbers: The “Plátano de Canarias” brand beat its historical production and marketing volume in a critical 2023 for producers.

However, always according to ASPROCAN (Association of Organizations of Banana Producers of the Canary Islands), which is the only entity that encompasses all producers of the same crop in Spain: The cost increase above 30%the drop in prices due to overproductiongenerated by the strong increase in temperature, and the unfair competition of imported bananas puts the sector on the ropes.

That last! 440 million kilograms sold, in 2023 alone. However, this milestone is overshadowed by the challenges faced by the producing sector. The low prices obtained at originequal to those achieved in 2016 and 2017 with less commercialized production, have been combined with increases in production costs that exceed 30% in the last two years.

Canarian producers have overcome a year marked by average temperatures that have become 1.5 degrees higher than 2022which has led to a 35% production increase compared to the previous year, already very strong drop in price.

A price at pre-pandemic levels, but with labor, water and production and export material costs that has led the sector to a critical situation.

Fortunately, the sector has so far managed to maintain the loyalty of households, but despite this, their product was purchased from Canarian producers in 2023 at an average price of €0.83/kg in wholesale marketsMeanwhile he consumer pays around €2.11/kg.

This contrasts with the import of banana, whose average wholesale price was similar to that of plantain (€0.81/kg), but which moved to the consumer at €1.41/kg.

If we consider the market value of banana and banana In Spain last year, we observed that it amounted to 1,347 million euros. Of this figure, 900 million euros corresponded to bananas from the Canary Islands, while 447 million euros corresponded to banana imports.

Canarian producers ask the EU compete on equality with imported banana. For this association:

The European Union must move forward to demand from all producers, wherever they are from, the same environmental requirements in the use of phytosanitary products and respect for the rights of workers that are required of community producers, conditions that are behind the increase in many of the costs linked to the management and exploitation of banana plantations.

ASPROCAN.

This claim is not new as the sector has been demanding it for more than 30 years. It is not coherent to address a Greener Europe when the EU supplies its markets with unsustainable products that gain market share at the expense of others.

I think they are right when they say that it is essential that all agricultural products of the same product category that are marketed in the EU market, equally share the application of European regulations.

By the way, I asked you about the organic or bio banana. Eco represents only 4% of banana production in the Canary Islands. For them, unfair competition is even more unsustainable.

The American eco banana has more treatments than the conventional European one and is sold in supermarkets as organic, without the consumer knowing that the American eco banana would not meet the criteria marked by the EU.

ASPROCAN.

Let everyone draw their own conclusions.

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