European banana producers attended a meeting in Madeira to discuss the implications of the demand from Ecuador and the US for a reduction in the import tariff for bananas from third countries.

The meeting, held on Thursday, was called to address the issue, which has been brought before the World Trade Organisation by the two countries. But European producers, fronted by the association of banana producers from the Canary Islands (Asprocan), which met with the president of the Canary Islands, Paulino Rivero Baute, last week, to formalise their own position.

Producers are also concerned at the prospect of further liberalisation of the market for ACP countries, and the meeting will analyse the implications of bilateral agreements in the liberalisation process of the banana market.

Asprocan has already put its disaffection on record, asking EU representatives why representatives of European banana growers were not involved in the first round of negotiations for an association agreement.

Meanwhile, the EU is engaged in a round of talks with former colonies across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP).

Protesters in ACP countries are opposed to proposed Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA), but EU commissioners warn that a failure to sign would risk the livelihoods of exporters of products, including bananas.

Campaigners say the planned deals would damage some of the world’s poorest countries, opening their markets to unfair competition from Europe. In an open letter, however, EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson said that campaigners were “playing poker” with people’s livelihoods.

“We cannot avoid the inevitable,” he said, adding that unless the arrangements were in place by January, the EU would impose less generous tariffs on key exports from ACP nations.

Analysts believe that only the Caribbean countries are likely to sign a deal by the end of October.

On another note, Asprocan made public its support of growers damaged by the disaster caused by Hurricane Dean in the banana fields of Martinique and Guadaloupe.

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