The banana sector is expecting the long-awaited verdict from the World Trade Organisation today on the overhaul of the rules on importing bananas into the EU.

The WTO arbitration panel is expected to rule today against a proposed EU common import tariff of €230 (£158) per tonne, reports said.

The proposal was tabled by Brussels last October, arguing that it would not only simplify the EU's three-part quota system but also provide a good compromise between the competing demands of ACP and Latin American producers.

However, the move was condemned by both sets of countries and challenged before the WTO by six Latin American countries led by Ecuador, the world's largest banana producer.

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