The representatives of all banana producers in the Canary Islands, the French regions of Martinique and Guadeloupe, and Madeira, Portugal, have finished creating the new agenda of actions for the start of the new Community budget project.
Since their association in 1992, this group has had to work continuously to transmit their reality and specificities of production- which is small-scale and traditional compared to that of the large multinationals that dominate the international banana market- to the political and technical decision-makers of the Community institutions.
Now that the European Parliament has begun its term of office and the new European Commission is starting its work again, Community banana producers aim to raise awareness about the current situation of the more than 30,000 people who work in the sector daily.
The first action will focus on Brussels and take place in the middle of October. In it, the European Commission's Trade, Agriculture, and Territorial Policy Directorates, and MEPs from the different groups in the European Parliament, will get to know the situation firsthand.
On the table is the POSEI aid program for the outermost regions of the European Union. This program's financial budget currently allocated for banana production in France, Spain, and Portugal does not allow them to face the impossible situation in which these producers find themselves, gripped by the excessive increase in production costs, the effects of climate change, EU bans, and unfair competition from third countries.
The European banana sector agrees that, in this context, joint action - with the support of the three Member States, regional executives, and national representatives - will be fundamental to implement mechanisms to ensure the viability of production.
For more information:
Plátano de Canarias
https://platanodecanarias.es