Banana exports from the Canary Islands to the Spanish mainland increased by 7.23 per cent in October compared with the same month a year before to a total of 28,905 tonnes, according to Canaries producer association Asprocan.
The export increase was particularly marked in the islands of La Palma, where banana shipments rose by 10.36 per cent to an estimated 11,679 tonnes over the October 2007 figure, and Gran Canaria, where exports grew almost 25 per cent to 4,748 tonnes.
However, Asprocan told news agency Efe that banana exports from Tenerife dropped by 0.88 per cent to just over 11,918 tonnes compared with the previous year.
Despite this slight fall, Tenerife still exported an estimated 41.23 per cent of the bananas shipped to the Spanish mainland during October, while La Palma accounted for 40.41 per cent and Gran Canaria shipped a further 16.43 per cent. The islands of La Gomera and El Hierro also exported small quantities of bananas to Spain’s domestic market.
