According to the president of Augura, Emerson Aguirre, banana producers are complying with all the requirements demanded by European retailers in terms of environmental and social sustainability. For example, all the jobs in the Colombian banana sector are 100% formal; 92% of them are unionized and more than 111% comply with a living wage.
While it's true that exports fell by nearly 25% in the first part of the year, the sector regained ground in the second half of the year compared to other producing countries. In fact, it is expected to be able to match last year's exports, which totaled just over 111 million boxes of bananas.
The sector hopes that the effects of the El Niño phenomenon will not be as harsh as projected so they can continue with their exports. "We are accompanying producers on each of the farms, supporting them with soil studies through Cenibanano, and the marketers are also helping them with credit lines so that they can fertilize better and thus have a very productive first half of 2024," he stated.
Source: contextoganadero.com