The Banana and Plantain Cluster of Ecuador, led by coordinator José Antonio Hidalgo, conducted strategic meetings in Brussels with European Union authorities and sector stakeholders. These discussions aligned with visits from the Minister of Production, Trade, Investments, and Fisheries, Luis Alberto Jaramillo Granja, and Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, Carlos Zaldumbide, enhancing Ecuador's banana sector agenda in Europe.
The meetings addressed industry challenges, focusing on sustainability, safety, and competitiveness in the European market. In dialogues with MEPs Gabriel Mato, Jessika Van Leeuwen, Rosa Estaràs, and César Luena's team, the Cluster emphasized the need for equitable regulation favoring Latin American producers. Discussions included abusive retail practices, EU aesthetic requirements contributing to food waste, and certification cost reduction through homologation. MEPs expressed willingness to collaborate and consider visiting Ecuador to understand the sector's realities.
Minister Jaramillo and Deputy Minister Zaldumbide supported these discussions in meetings with MEPs Juan Ignacio Zoido and Bernd Lange, and the Directorate General for Trade (DG TRADE) of the European Commission. Minister Jaramillo stated, "The Ecuadorian productive sector, a country with a clear export vocation, faces numerous challenges in its productive sector as well as opportunities to advance a common and co-responsible agenda in sustainable and safe exports with the European Union."
In engagements with the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), the Cluster addressed regulations like the Due Diligence Directive and the Deforestation Act (EUDR), advocating for a unified methodology to ease producers' bureaucratic burdens. DG AGRI acknowledged the importance of Ecuadorian bananas in the EU market and the necessity for fair production conditions.
Security in the value chain was discussed with the Directorate-General for Home Affairs (DG HOME), the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Port of Antwerp, and Belgium's National Drugs Commissioner. Ecuador's initiatives in container scanning, farm security, and local authority collaboration were highlighted. A call for European co-responsibility was made, noting increased drug consumption in Europe as a driver of drug trafficking.
An event in Rotterdam, organized with the Port of Rotterdam, Trust Control, the Ecuadorian Embassy in the Netherlands, and PRO-ECUADOR, titled "Sustainability Practices, Safety, and Efficiency in International Logistics for Bananas and Plantains," gathered 25 representatives from Dutch logistics and banana sectors. The event underscored Ecuador's progress in supply chain sustainability and security, reaffirming that drug trafficking requires coordinated actions between Europe and Latin America.
The Cluster also engaged with POLITICO Europe and FRESHFEL Europe to enhance sector visibility on the European agenda. FRESHFEL Europe stressed the importance of ongoing dialogue between European and Latin American producers to address agricultural sector challenges collaboratively. The Brussels meetings amplified the Cluster's voice in European institutions, fostering new cooperation opportunities.
In the upcoming months, the Cluster aims to advance actions to enhance the competitiveness, sustainability, and security of Ecuador's banana sector in the global market.
Source: America Economia