Agriculture doesn't stop, not even in these complicated times, and we have to take stock of the first quarter of this atypical 2020. Everybody is facing a totally new scenario, which requires our full attention and commitment.
The year began with a positive figure for the banana sector in general: exports to the peninsular market in the first quarter of 2020 increased by 5%. This increase in volume caused prices to plummet, reaching minimum values for this time of year; in contrast, 2019 started conditioned by low production and an upward trend in prices. However, this trend turned around in the second quarter of last year, leading to a market saturation that obviously affected prices, as the sector produced a total of 4 million kilos more in the first half of the year when compared to the same period of 2018. It seems that the recurring trend of recent years has been changed, with an increase in production that seems to slow down the advance in the market share of bananas.
Europlatano, in particular, is very proud to have produced 17% more in this first quarter of the year than in the same period of 2019. Not only that, Europlatano grew three times more than the sector average, contributing 49% of the almost 5,000 ton-increase that the entire banana sector had over the same period of last year.
This is the result of the continuous growth of Europlatano thanks to the effort of its farmers to continue improving their productions, the incorporation of new producers to the project, and a great job to reorganize the production, trying to collect the largest production volume in the winter months, thus avoiding periods of volume saturation and competition with seasonal and summer fruits. This allows for dealing with the market in a more orderly manner. In addition, the farmers of the entity get better prices for their products.
This positive beginning of the year encourages us to continue working more than ever to supply the market when it most needs it. But we must continue to be very attentive to the changes in consumer trends brought about by the new situation and bet on local produce, which is close and respectful of farmers and workers. As an organization, we are committed to guaranteeing the safety and health of our own, and to supplying families with a quality Canary Island banana.
For more information:
Europlátano S.A.
Camino Palomares, 118, 38760 Los Llanos de Aridane
Isla de La Palma, Canarias
Telf.: +34 922 40 10 83
www.europlatano.es