Demand for baby bananas is growing in the international market, which opens an opportunity so that domestic exporters increase the marketing of this fruit and profit more.
To date, the country has about 200 hectares cultivated with baby bananas, which are also called Lady Finger bananas, which are well liked because of their small size and that are regularly used in tropical table decorations and as a delicatessen product.
The National Banana Corporation (Corbana) wants to promote better practices and increase agricultural technology to enhance the sales volume of this fruit.
The date banana has a differential of up to 30% more than the Cavendish variety, which is the banana variety that Costa Rica exports to Europe and the United States, as it is considered an exotic fruit.
Production is concentrated in approximately 155 farms that cultivate this variety in the areas of Matina, Guapiles, Siquirres, and Batan.
"We are working more closely with about 40 small producers to make a comprehensive plan to improve productivity and give them support. We are excited about the project, but we have to analyze it well because there are times when demand is great and times when it decreases," said Jorge Sauma, manager of the National Banana Corporation (Corbana).
Last year, Costa Rica exported some 230,000 forty-pound boxes (18.4 kilos), i.e. more than 2.9 million kilograms of baby bananas mainly to Europe, with France as the main destination, followed by Belgium and Germany.
The main competitors of Costa Rica, both in this variety and in the Cavendish variety, are Ecuador, which ships most of its volume to the United States, and Colombia, which sends most of its production to the European Union.
The date banana can be found in chains like Walmart, Kroger, Hannaford, Coles, Harris and Sobeys, among others. The approximate cost of the bananas in US supermarkets ranges between $6 and $7.50 per kilo.
In Woolworths, for example, traditional bananas cost $2.48 per kilogram, organic bananas $5.98, and date bananas $7.50.
Another advantage of this product is its resistance to black sigatoka, the main banana disease in America, Africa, and Asia, which deteriorates the leaves of the plants, delays flowering, and affects productivity.
In addition, this variety uses up to 30% less agrochemicals than in the traditional variety, which means producers save more money.
Source: larepublica.net