Despite the major logistical problems along the supply chain provoked by lockdowns during the first wave of Covid-19, Ecuador’s banana exports have reached an all-time record high in 2020, up by 5% compared to 2019 (the first 45 weeks) and by 10% compared to the previous three year average. The continued expansion of productivity and the area planted have more than offset the damage resulting from the eruption of the Sangay volcano earlier this year.
Click on image to enlarge: Fresh banana exports for first 45 weeks – Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala
At the same time, Colombia’s exports are 8% up year on year in the first 45 weeks of 2020, having stagnated in 2018 and 19, while Costa Rica has seen a 3% increase, following a decline in exports since 2017.
Only one of the big four Latin American exporting countries – Guatemala – has recorded a slight reduction (1%) in export volumes, ending a very rapid rise in exports over the preceding ten years. The country remains dominant, however, in the North American consumer market, where nearly two in five bananas sold are produced in Guatemala.
Source: BananaLink