Ivory Coast's banana and pineapple farmers have told their government to sign a new trade deal with the European Union to allow them to compete once tariff free access to their biggest target market ends next month.
Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are being proposed by the EU as replacements for preferential trade deals with 80 former colonies in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of nations which expire on December 31.
Ivorians are able to export to the EU without paying import duty but maintain tariffs on imports from the EU to raise tax revenue and protect local industry. The World Trade Organisation declared this illegal but granted a waiver until the end of the year.
"If we don't sign, from January 1, we're going to pay customs fees at 115 CFA francs (14p) per kg of exported bananas to bring them into the European Union. We can't pay. We'll just stop," said Mathias Aka N'Goan, director of the Ivorian Central Organisation of Grower-Exporters of Pineapples and Bananas.
He cited Costa Rica as an example of a leading supplier of bananas to the EU which does not benefit from ACP preferences, but markets the fruit more efficiently and said Ivory Coast will struggle to compete.
EPAs would ensure continued tariff-free access to the EU market for ACP countries in exchange for allowing European goods to enter their markets tariff free, except for a number of exempted sensitive products that would affect key industries. "If the government doesn't sign the EPA, it will kill us," N'Goan said.
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