Ecuador's banana exports to international markets are on the rise. It reflects a recovery in the sector but not a sustained increase in the industry. It was explained on Monday by Marianella Ubilla, president of the board of directors of the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE). Ubilla and José Antonio Hidalgo, executive director of AEBE, and Paúl Vera, from the entity's Statistics office, showed the figures for the 2023 financial year. He pointed out that 359.12 million boxes of bananas were exported from January to December last year, 5.84 per cent more than in 2022 when 339.31 million boxes were exported.

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The Ministry of Agriculture of Chile, through Resolution No. 586, reported compliance with the phytosanitary verification process for exporting fresh fruits from Paraguay to this destination. With this, Paraguay can export bananas to the Chilean market. The Ministry of Agriculture of that country released a statement in which the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) verifies Paraguay's phytosanitary certification process, which complies with the characteristics and components of the Chilean system.

On February 1, 2024, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa sought joint strategies to confront drug trafficking with the mayors of Antwerp (Belgium), Rotterdam (Netherlands), and Hamburg (Germany), whose ports are the three main gateways to northern Europe for cocaine that mafias send from Ecuador, through international maritime trade.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. has launched its red-shelled Rubyglow pineapple, which it says features a red outer skin, bright yellow flesh and a new, sweet flavor similar to Del Monte pineapples. The Rubyglow pineapple is first being launched in China, in time for Chinese New Year as part of the company’s grand debut in the Chinese market, according to a news release, which added that a waitlist is available for consumers in other countries.

On January 19, the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), Danilo Palacios, said that the signing of contracts reached 58% of the hectares registered in that portfolio of State and urged producers and exporters to come forward to sign. However, ten days have passed, and according to Richard Salazar, executive director of the Association of Traders and Exporters of Banana of Ecuador (Acorbanec), signatures are at most 59%.

Sales fell 28.6% as of September 2023, and imports from the EU from the Dominican Republic are down 27%. High temperatures and pests weighed on the performance of Dominican banana exports during 2023, an agricultural sector whose producers are still struggling to recover from the climatic ravages of eight years ago, when hurricanes Matthew, Irma and Maria flooded many of the plantations and left them in debt.

The Government delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, presided over the information day for companies aid for the transport of goods to or from the Canary Islands, organised by the Government Delegation and the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The conference, which was held at the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce, was also attended by the president of the Foreign Trade Commission of the Chamber, Arturo Escuder; the insular director of External Action of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Pedro González, and the territorial director of Commerce and delegate of ICEX in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Cristina García.

It is a further extension of a long-term partnership between the two groups already working on pomegranates and guavas to take the Indian fruits to the supermarkets and hypermarkets of the LuLu Group in the Middle East. I.N.I. Farms, part of the AgroStar group, has entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with LuLu Group International to build a direct farm-to-retail partnership for the Indian Cavendish bananas.

A veteran farmer has warned that a month of devastating weather is set to impact banana quality and supply from far north Queensland. Record rainfall and flooding caused by Tropical Cyclone Jasper last month still impact supply chains in Australia's largest banana-growing region. Bananas are farmed commercially in N.S.W., Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. But the far north's Tully, Innisfail, Lakeland and Atherton Tablelands account for 94 per cent of banana growing areas.

The National Banana Corporation has updated the "Model to formulate a recommendation for a minimum exit price per one box of bananas". It has been submitted to the producers, banana traders, and government representatives from the three signatory ministries to Executive Decree to set the minimum exit price of one box of bananas for export.

Banana selling prices in St Petersburg were higher than last week, boosted by good demand and more favourable ambient temperatures, favouring street sales and not hindering the vessel’s discharge operations in the harbour. The main prices ranged from USD 24.55 per box CIF to USD 25.70 per box CIF depending on brand, quality, packing and volume. Nearly 954.000 boxes were discharged in week 4, and around 1.731 million are expected for week 5. The exchange rate was 1 USD=88.59 RUB. Prices in the Mediterranean were USD 17.0-18.0 USD per box CIF for the Ecuadorian bananas, depending on volume, brand, and region. The fruit from Central America sold at around USD 2.0 less. Large quantities of poor-quality Egyptian bananas were sold at lower prices.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa's administration plans to hold a referendum on crime, justice and economic issues in the first half of the year. Although Noboa said in a television interview that he hopes it will be held on March 10, that date seems optimistic because the constitutional court, which is currently studying the questions to be put to the public, has yet to rule on the constitutionality of the referendum.

According to data made available by the Regional Directorate of Agriculture (D.R.A.), in 2023, 25.2 thousand tons of bananas produced in Madeira were sold, an increase of 2.5 thousand tons compared to 2022, 10.8% more. It should be noted that this volume of bananas sold is the highest since 1999. In 2023, only the extra class grew compared to the previous year (+15.2%), with classes I (-6.7%) and II (-12.3%) recording drops compared to 2022.

The arrival of Singapore-flagged 3,013-TEU Wan Hai 357 at Dalian port in northeast China marked the launch of a new route to the west coast of South America. The ship was loaded with 3,000 TEU of bananas and white prawns and left the Port of Guayaquil in Ecuador on December 28. The route links the Dalian port with ports in Colombia and Ecuador and other major ports on the west coast of South America.