The cold fronts that have been affecting Ecuador since August are causing problems to the country's banana production. Freddy Hoyos, from the Hoyos Garcés Company, spoke about the current situation: "Temperatures have decreased significantly, which is delaying the harvest. Despite currently having a shortage of fruit, our production volume is still within average. We hope crops will recover once the season changes because this is deteriorating the price of traditional bananas; fortunately, organic bananas remain stable."
Producers initially thought volumes would increase at the beginning of October, but they are experiencing a delay in production of at least a month. "We are confident that production will increase in the first weeks of next year because we always have high production in January and February. This keeps us competitive, as it is a period in which Central America's harvest still hasn't peaked," said Hoyos.
"I think our closest competitor is Peru, as their organic banana production is increasing. They offer the same variety we do, but the size of their product is smaller than ours. The reason is simple: Ecuadorian soils are more suitable for banana cultivation. However, we must acknowledge Peru has an advantage because of the bilateral agreements they have signed to market their bananas," said the spokesman.
"Another country that could compete with us is Colombia, which is growing fast and has a competitive advantage regarding the periods in which it enters the market, but they are still growing. Meanwhile, we are reinforcing the positioning of our organic bananas in Europe and our strategy is to enter markets with high demand and low supply, such as Asia," concluded the representative of HoyosGarcés.
For more information:
Freddy HoyosHoyosGarcés SA.
T: + 593 993854882
E: freddyhoyosg@hyagro.com
www.hoyosgarces.com