The European banana sectors wish to express their deepest concerns regarding the danger that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict poses to their producers, which may, by its probable consequences, aggravate an already very worrying situation.
These sectors, which are vital for the European overseas regions of Martinique, Guadeloupe, the Canary Islands, and Madeira, are facing difficulties already highlighted in recent approaches to the ministries and departments and offices of the European Commission so that solutions can be considered to prevent their eviction from their own market:
- Increase in the costs of marketed bananas due to the suppression of all means of control against black cercosporin, methods that remain available to all global competitors,
- Recent increase in the cost of inputs, a global phenomenon impacting European agriculture but also bananas,
- A significant drop in banana prices on the European market between 2015 and 2021.
To these already serious difficulties may be added those caused by the conflict.
The main risk for European banana production resulting from the conflict is the detour by commercial operators to the European market of a substantial part of the volumes of dollar bananas traded in Russia and Ukraine (1.8 million tons).
Indeed, the port of entry of Ecuadorian bananas to Ukraine, located in Odessa, is no longer functioning and exports to this country are blocked.
Prices on the Romanian market, to which some deliveries have already been diverted, have fallen substantially on Monday 28 February.
The European sectors ask their governments and the European institutions to be ready to consider all measures, if such consequences occur, to avoid the disappearance of European banana production.
For more information:
APEB
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