Canary Islands banana producer Europlátano has exported more than one 1,000 tonnes of bananas to European markets in 2018, a 46 per cent increase on the previous year.
The company, which embarked on its export programme just over two years ago, said looking beyond Spanish borders was crucial to safeguard the future of the sector.
'This 1,000 tonnes represents a significant increase over the previous year. Our company has made an important effort to bring the taste of the Canary Islands to European consumers,' Europlátano said.
The company pointed out that almost 4 per cent of the Islands’ annual banana production is thrown away in order to avoid saturating the peninsular market.
“We believe that the solution to preventing saturation is not to discard fruit, but to better tailor our production to market demand and adapt and seek out new markets.”
As dollar bananas continue to gain market share in Spain, Europlátano noted that 'we need to further differentiate our product, working from the field for a banana with an unquestionable quality and taste'.
