Banana producers in the Canary Islands are aiming to expand exports of their products across Europe and north Africa following initial trial shipments, a venture which they hope will be supported by anticipated Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) status.
During 2010, growers in the Spanish islands sold 356,000 tonnes of fruit to mainland Spain compared with 318,000 the year before, while volumes sold in the internal Canaries market rose from 33,600 tonnes to 38,200 tonnes.
However, Francisco Rodriguez, president of Canaries banana producers’ association Asprocan told El Dia that the sector earned €30m less last year than in 2009.
Growers in the archipelago, he said, received a total of €245m, down from the €275m earned the year before, which was equivalent to €0.18 less per kilo.
At the same time, Mr Rodriguez told the publication that the quantity of unsold fruit reached 35,772 tonnes, 23,000 more than the year before.
As a result, Asprocan’s president said the organisation was aiming to focus more efforts this year on winning new markets with Europe and beyond.
He said Canaries producers had already carried out test shipments to Algeria and Portugal, although he stressed there was still work to be done in the latter market to agree contacts and differentiate Canaries bananas.
But he said: “We have to focus on markets with a sufficient acquisitive power that would be able to value our products, such as Germany and Belgium.”
Mr Rodriguez said the association's efforts would be supported by PGI status for Canaries bananas, which he is confident the islands’ growers will be awarded within the next two months.
