Martinique bananas

Strikes at the port of Fort-de-France, on the French West Indian island of Martinique, have hit banana supplies at the start of the year, according to UGPBAN, the union of banana grower associations of Martinique and Guadeloupe.

This week saw the CMA-CGM vessel depart from the port without having loaded a single container of bananas, leaving nearly 3,000 tonnes of bananas (enough for 140 containers) on the shore, both at the port and on the farms.

'Following a catastrophic 2011 in terms of sale prices, Martinique's banana producers have rested great hope on the first weeks of the year to get a satisfactory sale price,' UGPBAN stated. 'The lack of any shipments in week one will have irreversible consequences, as bananas from other origins will fill the gap in market share.'

With no end to the port conflict in sight, producer group Banamart has had no choice but to ask its producers to stop cutting and packing their bananas.

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