W12: Weekly Banana Update
Ecuador
Start of 2023 Turned Out to Be Successful for Ecuadorian Banana Growers (Mar 22)
In Ecuador, the Banana Exporters Association of Ecuador (AEBE) has published a statistical report on exports of products for January 2023. In January, 35.01M boxes were exported, an increase of 7.98% compared to the same period in 2022. The countries of the European Union became the main market for Ecuadorian bananas, accounting for 30.16% of all exports. In second place is Russia, with 24.27%, followed by the Middle East, with 13.07%. The last season was not easy for the plantation owners. Due to problems with logistics, it was necessary to reduce the volume of deliveries, including to Russia and European countries.
Brazil
400K Banana Trees Are Damaged by Storm in the North of Santa Catarina, Brazil (Mar 22)
At the end of February, a storm caused by a micro-explosion caused severe damage to banana cultivation in the north of Santa Catarina. The main municipalities affected were Luiz Alves, Massaranduba and São João do Itaperiú, which add up to more than USD 4.775M (BRL 25M) in losses.
Myanmar
Suspected Pinworm Disease in Chinese Tissue Bananas and Monitoring (Mar 24)
In Myanmar, Kachin State, where suspected symptoms of Fusarium wilt disease, also known as Panama disease, have been seen in some banana fields in Wyandmao Township. Therefore, the relevant authorities are monitoring the situation, and an employee of the Department of Agriculture said this. There are four levels of Panama disease, and levels 1 and 2 have been found in Myanmar since 2017. The disease that is currently under careful observation is fusarium stage 4 disease.
Peru
A Good Week for Fresh Bananas in Peru (Mar 26)
In W11, Peru exported 5.4K tons, an increase of 34% compared to W11 2022. Despite this recovery, the accumulated volume for the current campaign was still 2% below the previous one, with a total shipment of 50.1K tons. The main destinations were the Netherlands (30% participation), Chile (23%), and Panama (15%).
