It took the Ecuadorian bananas more than two decades to land in the Brazilian market. The fruit arrived on Friday, May 18 of this year, to the port of Santos, where the Tropical Fruit Exporter company had shipped 1,144 boxes of 43 pounds under the brand SELVATICA. Even though the shipment went through the customs and sanitary processes without any problems, the Prosecutor's Office requested confirmation from the Government in Brasilia, in order to allow the bananas to leave the port. This happened when the National Secretary, the Brazilian equivalent of AGROCALIDAD, gave the order.
This process has been marked by setbacks that began in 1997, when Brazil suspended imports of Ecuadorian bananas due to pressure from Brazilian producers who alleged phytosanitary problems related to the presumed presence of black sigatoka. Since then, the value chain of Ecuadorian bananas, together with the different Ecuadorian governments, has carried out multiple actions that included exchanges, meetings between the phytosanitary officials of Ecuador and Brazil. Despite the understanding at the government level, Brazilian banana producers demanded that their government prohibit the entry of Ecuadorian fruit on several occasions because it would harm their production, which is the third largest in the world.
Expectations about the Brazilian market are high, since it can reach some 100 thousand tons per year and favor small producers.
Source: AEBE
"Historically, Brazil has no experience in importing bananas because the Government protects the domestic market. This could be achieved if Brazil offered competitive prices, quality, and products, and did not depend on exports," stated Omar Lima of Banasil Technology. Banasil Technology is a national company developing new technologies in fruit ripening. "To maintain an international relationship, every country needs not only to export, but also to import. There are no unilateral businesses."