In 2020, the main exporter of fresh or dried bananas in Central America was Costa Rica, with $1,083 million, followed by Guatemala, with $930 million, Honduras, with $531 million, Panama with $152 million and Nicaragua with $23 million.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"]
Between January and September 2020, banana exports amounted to $2,079 million, 11% more than what was reported in the same period of 2019, a rise that is explained by the behavior of sales of Honduran, Panamanian, Costa Rican and Guatemalan companies.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"]
From January to June 2020, banana exports amounted to 1,403 million, 14% more than what was reported for the same period in 2019, a rise that can be explained by the sales behavior of Honduran, Costa Rican, Panamanian and Guatemalan companies.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"]
Since 2018, the price of the banana box that Costa Rican producers sell to the German supermarket chain ALDI is falling, there is concern that other European chains will begin to negotiate lower prices.
Representatives of the National Banana Corporation of Costa Rica (Corbana) explained that in 2018 the 18.14 kilo banana box sold to ALDI was quoted at 13.55 Euros.
Due to the possible change in the regulations established by the European Union on the use of agrochemicals in the production of the fruit that enters their territory, exporters in the region are on the alert for the possible complications that this would generate in the commercialization.
In order to protect the health of consumers, European authorities could vary the maximum residue limits (MRL's) that food entering the region may contain.
In this context of sanitary crisis, banana companies in Costa Rica must ensure the cleaning and disinfection, at least twice a day, of all surfaces and spaces that are considered critical.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) recently approved the protocol for the prevention of covid-19 in the banana sector, which contemplates the preventive and mitigation actions that producers of this fruit for export must comply with to avoid the spread of the disease.
Although several companies have been affected by the measures implemented by governments in the context of the Covid-19 crisis, Costa Rican exports of coffee, pineapple and bananas have so far not faced difficulties with logistics.
Directors of the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (Icafé) indicated that so far there have been no problems with the availability of containers and that sales abroad are proceeding normally.
In the first nine months of 2019, Central American companies recorded $1.87 billion in banana exports, and sales to Italy grew 9% over the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics"]
The Costa Rican government and producers signed an agreement that establishes that any government agency may request resources to carry out national and international activities to prevent or combat any pest that affects banana crops.
In the first three months of 2019, Central American countries recorded $590 million in banana sales abroad, 6% less than reported in the same period of 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAPHIC caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
After the presence of the pest Fusarium R4T in Colombia was confirmed, in Costa Rica the producers' guild asked the authorities to decree a national state of emergency to prevent the entry of the disease into the country.
Costa Rica has updated the mandatory phytosanitary measures for imports, while in Guatemala protocols are being implemented in the fields where the fruit is harvested, because of the threat of Fusarium R4T disease.
Following Panama's decision, the phytosanitary authorities in Guatemala and Costa Rica restricted the entry of banana and plantain-derived materials from any country because of the alert for the pest known as "wilt for fusarium.”
In the case of Guatemala, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA) reported that as part of the protection and preservation of the regional agricultural heritage, the Guatemalan population and national banana and plantain producers were informed that Guatemala had activated prevention and warning measures to prevent the threat of Fusarium Oxysporum race 4 disease.
Because of the suspicion that exists in Colombia about the presence of the pest known as "wilt by fusarium", an alert was issued in the countries of Central America.
The International Regional Organization for Agricultural Health (OIRSA), reported that because of the suspicion of the fungus in Colombia, the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) issued a resolution on June 25, which declares in phytosanitary quarantine the farm Don Marce, located in the municipality of Riohacha in the department of La Guajira, for the presence of symptoms associated with the pest Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Race 4 tropical.
In the first three months of the year, Central American countries registered $625 million in banana sales abroad, and exports to the Netherlands increased by 38% compared to the same period in 2017.
Figures from the information system on the Fresh or Dry Banana Market in Central America, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption = "Click to interact with graph"]
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