Costa Rica positioned itself in 2020 as the main exporter of fresh or dried bananas in Central America, with exports worth $ 1.083 billion. It was followed by Guatemala with $930 million, Honduras with $ 531 million, Panama with $152 million, and Nicaragua with $23 million.
Exports from Panama increased by 19%, Honduran exports grew by 11%, and Costa Rican exports increased by 8%. Meanwhile, exports from Guatemala and Nicaragua fell by 2% and 8%, respectively.
Between 2019 and 2020, the export value of bananas increased by 7%, going from $ 2.523 billion to $ 2.725 million. Central American banana exports to the United States also grew in that period, going from $ 1.646 billion to $ 1.762 billion.
The average export price of Central American bananas experienced a slight upward trend during 2020, going from $ 0.38 per kilo in January to $ 0.41 in December.
The United States was the main market
In 2020, the United States accounted for 65% of Central America's banana export value. The Netherlands accounted for 10%, the United Kingdom for 4%, Belgium for 3%, Italy for 3%, Germany for 2%, Spain for 2%, and Portugal accounted for 1%.
The Netherlands is the destination market that has grown the most in recent years, as they've gone from accounting for 0.5% of sales in 2012 to 10% last year.
Source: america-retail.com
