Shipments up almost 12 per cent in first two months of 2026 says Acorbanec
Ecuador exported 71.49mn boxes of banana in the first two months of 2026 – 11.79 per cent more than in the same period of 2025 according to data from Acorbanec. It said the increase was down to increased production at the end of 2025 and start of 2026, with higher bunch yield ration and bagging rates compared to the year-earlier period.
The European Union remained the main destination for Ecuadorean bananas, accounting for 34.58 per cent of total exports. Russia was the second largest destination with 22.19 per cent, followed by US in third place with 13.40 per cent. These were followed by the Middle East (11.09 per cent), the Southern Cone (5.87 per cent), East Asia (5.57 per cent), Eastern Europe (2.34 per cent), Central Asia (2.00 per cent), Africa (0.89 per cent), and Oceania (0.81 per cent).
Statistics show that of the 71.49 million boxes of bananas exported, 52.05 per cent left through the various ports of Guayaquil; 26.26 per cent through the Posorja Deepwater Port; and 21.69 per cent through Puerto Bolívar in Machala.
Figures from the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (Aebe) showed exports of 71.51mn boxes in January and February of this year, compared to 66.18mn in the same period of 2025, representing a cumulative growth of 8.07%.
Aebe said January saw particularly dynamic sales, with 38.39mn boxes exported, a year-on-year increase of 11.25 per cent. However, by February, growth had slowed to 4.6 per cent, with 33.13mn boxes exported.
“This trend reflects a clear slowdown in the pace of export expansion, going from double-digit growth in January to a more moderate variation in February,” Aebe said, adding that “the cumulative growth through February has been driven primarily by the EU, US, and Russia, which together account for most of the expansion in export volume”.
