Russia Might Suspend Ecuadorian Banana Imports

Published 2019년 12월 11일

After the discovery of a pest, Russia is considering suspending Ecuadorian banana imports. As Ecuador supplies over 90% of Russia's banana's, it will be difficult to find a replacement. Nevertheless, this offers opportunities for Southeast Asian suppliers.

The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) stated late November that it is considering to temporarily suspend banana imports from Ecuador. According to the organization, a polyphagous humpback fly was detected in a banana shipment from Ecuador. This pest is able to carry diseases that can be transferred to humans, such as cholera. Ecuador is, by far, the main supplier of bananas to Russia, so an import suspension would have huge consequences for both Russian buyers and Ecuadorian suppliers.

Ecuadorian Bananas Most Preferred in Russia

Ecuador exports around 6.6 million tons of bananas yearly, of which approximately 20% goes to the Russian market. These 1.5 million tons represent 96% of Russia’s total banana imports. Russia and Ecuador have had a long relationship when it comes to bananas and imports from Ecuador have been steadily increasing. Importers prefer the Ecuadorian fruit over the Costa Rican or Guatemalan bananas due to quality differences. In winter, bananas are the most eaten fruit in Russia and annual consumption is around 8-9 kg per capita.

Humpback Fly Contamination

The humpback fly found late November was not the first case. Earlier this year, in late August, Russia already issued a warning for Ecuador in regards to its bananas. At that time, a live humpback fly was found in the shipment, and 25 tons of bananas were sent back to Ecuador. The humpback fly is seen as a universal pest, which infects all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and grains, and is often seen as dangerous as it can transmit many dangerous diseases for humans, such as cholera.

The humpback fly discovery this November has brought stern words from Rosselkhoznadzor, which even mentions that it might temporarily suspend banana imports from Ecuador and has expressed distrust in Agricalidad, the Ecuadorian agency that deals with phytosanitary control. Agricalidad’s response was that the humpback fly is usually not associated with bananas and it believes that in this case, the fly might have come in touch with the bananas through cross-contamination, as it was found on the surface of a box.

Will Southeast Asian Suppliers Gain Ground in Russia?

If Russia does suspend imports from Ecuador, there will be a large banana shortage this winter. It is unlikely that bananas will be replaced by other fruits, especially during the winter, so Russian importers will be looking for different import origins. As there are worries about phytosanitary issues in Latin-American countries, due to the TR4 virus, this could create opportunities for Southeast Asian suppliers to increase their sales to Russia. Southeast Asian countries, such as India, the Philippines, and China, are some of the world’s largest banana producers. They are strategically located for exporting to Russia and there is a lot of trade already between Russia and this region.