bananas

Peru's banana and plantain production and exports are expected to increase over the course of 2015, according to a new report.

Consultancy group Maximise said it saw production climbing 2.6 per cent in 2015, the result of strong management efforts in Piura coupled with higher demand for organic bananas in Europe and the US, Peru This Week reported.

Exports are expected to bring in 20 per cent more in value terms, at around US$136.9m, despite a lower share of fruit heading to Europe.

'Last year we exported 92 per cent of what we produced to Europe, but this year we are reducing our volume of shipments to European destinations to 75 per cent because we are afraid of what might happen to the euro, Aingeru Garcia of the Association of Small Products or Organic Bananos told Freshplaza.

Elsewhere, there could be losses to fruit and other crops in parts of northern Peru that were battered by torrential rains and heavy winds lain January.

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