Spain was Europe's largest banana producer in 2016, with a total of 417,176 tonnes, according to data provided by the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Union.
Of the total banana volume marketed in Europe, which amounted to 6,122,898 tonnes, 11.3% is of EU origin, with the Canary Islands accounting for more than 60%, followed by the French Martinique and Guadeloupe (36%) and by the Portuguese Madeira (3%).
The European market: a territory for dollar bananas
69.6% of the European market is in the hands of countries in the dollar zone; a trend that, far from being attenuated, is expected to continue thanks to tariff agreements that make the fruit's access cheaper for bananas from third countries, mainly Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica. These three countries supply more than 3,700,000 tonnes of the bananas marketed in the EU.
In the case of bananas from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, the tariff exemption for banana imports into the EU is total. Led by the productions from the Dominican Republic, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, ACP bananas account for 19.1% of the total volume marketed in Europe.
In 2016, the European market was worth almost 4,000 million Euro, of which 316 million Euro were for Canary bananas, which captured 12.3% of the total EU market.
The volume of Canary bananas marketed during 2016 reached a record level, exceeding the more than 396,000 tonnes reached in 2010. This made it possible to maintain the average sale price for green bananas at 0.77 €/kg.