Ecuador's banana industry strengthens ties with Japan in successful trade tour

The Banana Marketing and Export Association of Ecuador (ACORBANEC), led by its executive director Richard Salazar, participated in an official tour of Japan alongside the president of the Republic. The objective was to strengthen trade relations and move towards a possible agreement that would improve the access conditions for Ecuadorian bananas to the demanding Japanese market, where they currently face tariffs of up to 20%. According to Salazar, a tariff reduction similar to that achieved with South Korea and China would allow Ecuador to quadruple its exports to Japan, taking advantage of the health difficulties affecting competitors in the region. “We always said that the future growth of banana exports was in the Far East, specifically in China, South Korea, and Japan,” the leader told Portalfruticola.com. He recalled that Ecuadorian bananas have an agreement with China and South Korea, which will be ratified on September 2, and that this year they have driven an increase of ...