Banana prices have been climbing sharply in the UK on the back of inclement weather in source countries affecting supply.
Prices for dollar fruit in the last week of January and the first week of February this year were almost double levels seen during the same period in 2010 on UK wholesale markets at 2150p and 2050p respectively. This compares with 1233p at the end of January last year and 1100p for the first week in February 2010.
“January this year was one of the shortest Januaries in terms of supply that I can remember,” said one banana industry stalwart. “It is largely due to climatic effects with very cold weather in Central and South America. They had floods in Colombia before Christmas and then before that there was Hurricane Tomas. Bananas have not come back from that yet and they won’t until the end of April.”
Tomas devastated banana output in the Windward Islands as well as damaging some plantations in Costa Rica when it swept through the region in November last year.
An outbreak of sigatoka in the Dominican Republic before Christmas has hindered output. “This has cut their volumes by about 40 per cent,” said one UK importer. “The result is a very short market and much stronger pricing. Not just in the UK, but elsewhere in Europe too.”
Retail prices do not reflect the shortage on the marketplace however, with the major supermarkets still selling fruit at 77p a kilo this week.
“The situation is just ludicrous,” said the importer. “When you look at the price bananas are retailing at here - you can buy two bananas for the price of just one apple.”
