Bananas

Peruvian banana exports have increased by 23 per cent duringthe first eight months of 2009 compared with the same period a year before,thanks in part to a major rise in shipments to the Netherlands.

According to Peruvian export association Adex, shipmentsbetween January and August this year of bananas were worth close to €25m, ofwhich more than €13m worth of bananas was exported to the Netherlands – a riseof 57 per cent over the previous campaign.

Other major markets for Peru’s bananas were the US, at €5.9m, followed by Japan, Germany, Belgium and smaller shipments to othercountries.

Adex said in a statement that the 2009 season had also beennotable as it marked Peru’s first banana exports to several new markets,including Canada, Ireland, South Korea, Portugal and North Korea.