Banana producers in Ecuador can breathe a sigh of relief during 2024 with better growing and market conditions following a challenging past four years. According to Daniela Palacios, CEO of the Export Division of Palmar, who are banana producers and exporters, "It has been a year that has allowed us to somehow start recovering from the last four years that have been hard for the banana sector. We had extra investments against Fusarium Raza 4, the Covid pandemic, followed by the logistic crisis, the Russian war and climate change. What has allowed us this stability is that demand has been maintained, even in weeks that are normally low in sales."
"We at Palmar export 400,000 boxes per week, 50% comes from our own production. We buy the difference from third parties, of the total volume we export, 50% goes to Russia, 30% to Europe and the difference to the USA and Asia. Russia is an important market for us. My grandfather started his export experience in this market 28 years ago and since then there has not been a week that we have not shipped. Luckily, it is the same story in Germany and Poland. We continue to export through our same customers. That characterizes us very much. Our company focuses on creating long-term relationships, honesty, transparency and experience," explains Palacios.
Palmar is a family business founded by her grandparents. "My grandfather Euclides Palacios and grandmother Jenny Marquez used their last names for the name of our corporation. My grandfather started 50 years ago leasing banana farms, then he became an owner and so it grew. Over the years he managed to consolidate in the banana supply chain and Palmar Group has seven subsidiaries. These companies offer the goods and services necessary for the production and export of bananas. An example is our cardboard factory Incarpalm, plastic factory Palmaplast, aerial fumigation service FUMIPALMA. All our companies are socially and environmentally responsible."
The team from IncarPalm, the cardboard factory of the Palmar Group.
On the banana growing side, Grupo Palmar currently owns 4,500 hectares of banana plantations. These are all located in the province of El Oro in Ecuador. All of them have certifications such as RFA, Global Gap + Grasp, and others. Their banana brands include 'Pretty Liza' and 'Linda Bananas.'
"We manage a portfolio of around 150 producers. "Almost 50% of them are small growers who produce less than 800 boxes per week. They are a very important part of our Palmar family. Over the years, we have seen them grow with us. We provide stability, punctual payment, free advice from our supervisors, training on market trends, and we are constantly looking for economic benefits," states Palacios.
2024 better than past four years
"Due to the fact that, unfortunately, other banana producing countries have had to face challenges in their banana production. This is not to say that it has not been a year of production challenges for us, too. We have had less supply of fruit in Ecuador, because there is a reality, namely climate change. On the other hand, we have a great enemy: organized crime," notes Palacios.
For more information:
Daniela Palacios
Palmar Group
[email protected]
www.palmar.com.ec