Ecuador hopes to export close to 300m boxes of bananas (or 5,442,000 tonnes) to countries worldwide in 2010, according to the nation’s exporter association (AEBE).
“Up to January 2010, we estimate that Ecuador has already shipped 25.1m boxes of the fruit (or 455,300 tonnes) due to the technical improvements being applied on plantations,” AEBE chairman Eduardo Ledesma told Fruitnet.com.
Despite the issue of flat pricing in major Northern Hemisphere markets (due primarily to the recession), Mr Ledesma said he remains confident the year ahead will hold some promise for the banana trade.
“Bananas are more than just a fruit – they are a complete product which offer people with limited resources many necessary nutrients for good health, plus they are cheaper and more satisfying than many other items, so I believe and hope that 2010 will be an excellent year for Ecuadorean bananas,” explained Mr Ledesma.
In 2009 Ecuador supplied roughly 280m boxes of bananas to regions including Europe, Russia, North America, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia, up from 260m boxes in 2008, which was down on the 280m boxes exported during the previous year.
Ecuador currently has some 230,000ha planted with bananas for commercial production, according to AEBE.
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