Shipments up 3.21 per cent in first four months of 2025 according to Acorbanec
Ecuadorean bananas continue to recover in international markets, with the country shipping 137.12mn 18.14 kg boxes to international markets as of April, up 3.21 per cent compared to the same period of last year, according to Acorbanec.
The European Union, Russia, and South Korea now lead the way as the main destinations. The EU took 4.81 per cent more fruit than in the year-earlier period, with Germany, the Netherlands and Poland seeing notable increases.
Exports to Russia grew by 9.2 per cent, while South Korea took 22.39 per cent more bananas in the first four months of 2025 than in the year-earlier period. Exports to the Middle East and the Southern Cone also increased, with shipments to Argentina up 44.27 per cent.
Other emerging markets that stood out for their strong performance were China (+26.30 per cent), Poland (+40.25 per cent), Slovenia (+9.15 per cent).
However, exports to the US were down 1.34 per cent on 2024, while shipments to Algeria collapsed, dropping 91.1 per cent due to Ecuador’s suspension of recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which led to a boycott by the Algerian government of Ecuadorean banana imports.
Acorbanec said the main reasons for the improved performance were increased production due to the improved physiological development of the plants and a higher bunch yield.
The fall in banana production in Central America during the first quarter of 2025 due to climatic issues in countries such as Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras, coupled with the ongoing strike at Chiquita Panama’s operations in Bocas del Toro also increased demand for Ecuadorean bananas in key markets.
Finally, Acorbanec noted that the increase in the minimum support price (MSP) also had an impact on export costs and boosted the sector’s competitiveness.
