Bananas
All the news and market analysis for worldwide Bananas Industry, including Bananas growers, Bananas production, and the import and export of Bananas.
National brand for Vietnam bananas could help boost exports
Country has potential to secure enormous volume and value growth in banana exports, says leading supplier
Former Chiquita execs sentenced to fines and prison for financing right wing paramilitaries in Colombia
The decision is the first time Chiquita executives have faced punishment for their role in the 1990s conflict
Brazil’s fruit exports surge 27 per cent in first half of 2025
Brazil has recorded significant growth in its fruit export sector for the first half of 2025, with volume up 27.2 per cent and value increasing by 12.6 per cent compared to the same period last year
Analysis: Is Chiquita Panama past the point of no return?
Strike action has pushed the multinational out of the Central American country, possibly forever. So what does the future hold for the people and plantations it has supported for more than a century?
Tesco sees record fruit sales as UK heatwave continues
The UK’s largest food retailer expects to sell nearly 4mn punnets of strawberries and millions of other fruit items as temperatures soar again
Equifruit socks it to low banana prices
At the Organic Produce Summit in the US, Equifruit aims to show how affordable it is to switch to Fairtrade-certified bananas, comparing the cost of the annual premium to that of a single sock
One Banana receives prestigious Walmart Trust Award
Family-owned banana supplier One Banana has been recognised with a prestigious Walmart Trust Award, highlighting the company’s excellence in sustainable production and food safety innovation
Comment: Tropical fruit market outlook remains positive despite global challenges
Despite widespread geopolitical turmoil and economic challenges, the outlook for tropical fresh fruit remains extremely positive according to RaboResearch’s Cindy van Rijswick at the Fruitnet Tropicals Congress.
Reybanpac receives sustainability award from Guayaquil Chamber of Commerce
Banana company recognised for its social and environmental practices
Chiquita urged to condemn arrest of Panama union leaders
US-based organisation Global Labor Justice has called on Chiquita to condemn the arrests of two Sitraibana union leaders following a six-week strike that halted Panama’s banana industry.
Equifruit speaks out against gender-based violence in banana industry
Company becomes founding signatory of Silence Does Not Protect campaign
Panama arrests banana union leader after Chiquita strike ends
Francisco Smith, leader of Sitraibana, faces charges for orchestrating roadblocks in Bocas del Toro
Banaclima to boost agricultural management in Costa Rican banana sector
Corbana makes its weather monitoring tool available to growers
The Fresh Ideas Show: Banana drama, Brexit bridge-building, and a bunch of clever Kiwis
Fruitnet’s brand new podcast features exclusive interviews and expert analysis of the big stories in the fruit fresh produce business
Chiquita launches ‘Likely the Best Snack Ever’ campaign
Campaign aims to position Chiquita bananas as the go-to snacking choice
The Philippines seeks access to Egypt for mangoes and bananas
Negotiations come after the country gained access for durian in May
Panama: Unions call off strike in Bocas del Toro
Sitraibana and Sitrapbi to lift roadblocks immediately as agreement is reached over social security reforms
‘Outdated and misleading’: Ecuador banana exporters refute Global Rights Report
Leading grower and exporter associations issue formal response, arguing report overlooks country’s recent progress
Colombian banana sector on the up
Emerson Aguirre, president of Colombian banana association Augura, shares his outlook for 2025
Comment: Ecuador’s banana industry rejects report on workers’ rights
In a letter addressed to Fruitnet, industry leaders defend labour standards and point to recent social progress
Dole founder and produce champion David Murdock dies, aged 102
Billionaire businessman and wellness advocate, who transformed Dole into global fruit powerhouse and later championed nutrition research, passed away on 9 June
Chiquita signs long-term fruit import deal at Port Wilmington
Terminal operator Enstructure and state governor welcome multinational’s decision to retain mid-Atlantic hub at Delaware port
BayWa secures court approval for restructuring plan
Company’s plan was already underway, with new loans secured until end of 2028, but legal backing now in place
Banana workers face ‘worsening crisis’, says new report
ITUC’s latest Global Rights Index suggests worker rights have been diminished in various parts of the world
NGO tells Chiquita: ‘return to Panama and reinstate workers’
Global Labor Justice accuses company of historic violations and being in breach of international conventions on labour rights
Tesco launches ‘ripen at home’ bananas
Move aims to cut down on food waste in the home
Colombia: unrest hits banana exports
Roadblocks cut off Caribbean coast and prevent fruit from reaching ports
Chiquita pulls admin staff out of Panama as strike continues
Company has apparently requested government permission to sack all of its remaining banana workers in the country
Panama declares state of emergency as Chiquita strike continues
Strikers are blocking roads in Bocas del Toro and causing shortages of fuel and food
One Banana launches regenerative agriculture pilot
The initiative, in partnership with WWF and Earth University, aims to “lay the groundwork for healthier soils, more resilient ecosystems and a more sustainable global food system”
Strong start to the year for Ecuadorean banana exports
Shipments up 3.21 per cent in first four months of 2025 according to Acorbanec
Analysis: Peru’s export business is right on trend
Recent poor weather dampened its growth, but overall the country’s export trade remains buoyant, as Wayne Prowse reports
Prepared salad and fruit sales surge due to warm spring
Convenience fruit and salad sales have spiked as consumers celebrate warm spring while inflation of 4.1 per cent is ‘new territory’ for 2025
Jump in Spain’s fresh produce imports
Fepex reports that the country’s fresh produce imports grew 10 per cent in volume and 15 per cent in value in the first quarter
Frigotec aims for ripening perfection with Softripe
Frigotec’s Roland Wirth tells Fruitnet how Softripe is making global fruit ripening more efficient, intelligent and sustainable, while unlocking new fruit qualities
Chiquita Panama begins mass layoff of workers
Company will deliver severance pay to almost 5,000 works this Friday due to ongoing strike