“One can claim that the development of our national sector has shaped the direction that the world’s banana industry is following. We can therefore think of ourselves as pioneers in certain markets that were initially marginal, but are now important markets for the sector. These include Russia where I believe we’ve delivered 75 million boxes of bananas by 2023.” said Kleber Exkart, the director of Banana Export.

“If you are optimistic, and consider problems to be potential for growth as well as improvements in markets, then the Ecuadorian banana is a significant potential for expansion, specifically within market opportunities in the Asian or Eastern markets. The foundation of this commercial platform is already created by the agreements that were signed by the prior administration. All that’s needed in the moment is for the present National Assembly to ratify the FTA with China.”

“This is an essential action,” he stated. “The nation must capitalize on this opportunity for economic development, an increase in employment, as well as the production in foreign currencies.”

“The the country should invest in research as the threat of diseases such as moko and Foc R4T Black sigatoka, moko, and many others- may cause manufacturing of Musaceae in danger. It’s about time to have an independent research institute with the duty of cooperating with industry, the academic community, and together with international associations for the collective benefit of our production of bananas and plantains.”

“Ecuador is the largest exporter of bananas. As consequently, it is the responsibility of setting the agenda to negotiate with other markets, and in particular its most important trading partner which is that of the European Union. It is known that this market has the most prestigious sellers with the most purchasing capacity and they are attempting to control the pricing the box of bananas in a way that favors their own interests while at the expense of producers, by attempting to sell the banana box less than the cost for its production.”

“We’re faced with a huge problem in this area. It is imperative to prove that our country has a responsibility to its workers in the agricultural sector and they’re provided with a reasonable wages. It is imperative to prove that the country is in compliance to the requirements of certifying for both corporate and social accountability, along in the areas that define sustainable utilization of resources natural to us such as land, water, as well as the natural environment. The Banana Cluster’s platform done a lot to improve these areas however it appears that there’s still much to be accomplished.”

Source: bananaexport.com