The president of the Association of National Banana Producers (Aprobana), Héctor Castro, lamented that the cultivated areas decreased by 60% due to the effects of recent years due to the onslaught of tropical storms and other problems the sector faces. Banana exports are the country's second-largest foreign exchange source, surpassed only by coffee.

According to a report by an Italian newspaper, pesticides were found in bananas sold in some supermarkets. Pesticide residues were also found in the fruit pulp and not just on the peels. According to the report, only 3 out of 20 brands were saved, with Lidl, Carrefour, and Esselunga at the bottom of the ranking.

In January-November, Uzbekistan imported approximately 120,000 tons of bananas valued at $85.2 million, according to preliminary data from the Statistics Agency. The primary sources of banana imports during this period were:

Kapi Growers, a leading grower-shipper of premium Costa Rican pineapples and bananas, announces Sofia Acon, who has served as a director since 2020, has been appointed president. Acon was instrumental in bringing Kapi Kapi Growers to the U.S. market four years ago, co-founding the company, shaping its vision and strategic plan, leading the development of the brand and building an extraordinary team.

Mediterranean Shipping Co.'s (MSC) first-ever service to Davao began on December 20 with a call to Davao International Container Terminal (DICT) in Panabo, Davao del Norte. The MSC Ancona III HZ348R commenced its maiden voyage to DICT as part of MSC's extended Lang Co service.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, led by Narvay Quintero, has made the payment of 69.3 million euros corresponding to the first payment of aid to banana producers with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), established in Measure II of the Community Support Programme for Agricultural Production in the Canary Islands (POSEI) for the 2023 campaign, according to a press release.

A new banana variety, the Kaveri Kalki, has been obtained from the Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT in India. The unique banana variety of ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli, is not prone to lodging. The license for mass multiplication of the variety was transferred to M/s. Shankar Bio-tech, Krishnagiri, for faster adoption by the farmers.

The South Pacific Terminal (TPS) bid farewell to Cool Carriers' first reefer vessel with pallets of fruit bound for the West Coast of the United States, which takes place within the framework of the 2023-2024 fruit season. This was achieved with the departure of the Ivar Reefer vessel of the exact shipping company after loading a little more than 1,900 pallets at Site 5 of the concessionaire of the Port of Valparaíso.

A great man and a worthy son of the province of El Oro, this is how María Eugenia Navarrete, executive president of Banco de Machala, described Esteban Quirola Figueroa, who was honoured in recent days with the unveiling of his bust at the headquarters of the financial institution he created 61 years ago, located on nine de Mayo and Rocafuerte streets, in the centre of the capital of Ourense.

Latin American banana growers expressed concern that European supermarkets are asking for a reduction of 1.30 euros (US$1.43) on the price of a box of bananas. Currently, producing a box of bananas on a Colombian farm costs around US$7.8, equivalent to about 7.10 euros, so the impact of the alleged European reduction would be 0.52 euros per box for Colombian growers.

Banana selling prices in Russia didn't improve compared to the past week, and prices were USD 20.30-22.45 per box CIF according to brand, quality, volume, and type of packing. Nearly 573,000 boxes were discharged in week 51, and around 1.5 million are expected for week 52.

Less than ten days before the deadline for the registration of contracts between producers and exporters for 2024, only a reduced number of agreements have been signed between the parts. The deadline is December 31, as stipulated in the Ley del Banano or Banana Law, which regulates the fruit trade.

MSC has announced the surcharges it plans to add to European box exports to Asia as its vessels avoid the Suez Canal following the recent attacks in the Red Sea. The firm plans to charge an extra $500/TEU, $1,000/FEU and $1,500 per reefer container for European exports to the Far East and Middle East, it said in a customer advisory on December 20.

The National Banana Corporation (CORBANA) updated the "Model for the formulation of a recommendation of the minimum starting price for a box of bananas", which was presented to the producers, banana marketers and representatives of the three Ministries that signed the Executive Decree fixing the minimum price for the banana box for export.

Through Advisory to Shipping No. A-54-2023, the Panama Canal announced today that it will increase the number of daily transits to 24 starting in January for the benefit of its customers. Currently, 22 vessels transit daily, divided into 6 Neopanamax and 16 Panamax. This restriction is in response to the challenges posed by the current state of Gatun Lake, which is experiencing unusually low water levels for this time of the year due to the drought induced by the El Niño phenomenon.