Chiquita, a U.S. multinational originally founded as the United Fruit Company in 1899 by Minor Keith, has established its largest ripening center in the EU in Cortenuova (Bergamo, Lombardy) and has begun planting 20,000 banana trees in Sicily, aiming to start marketing them by mid-2026.
The Canary Islands sector is actively working to strengthen its presence on the continent. In September, an Italian delegation visited the archipelago as part of the Plátano de Canarias PGI's Agrofood Plan. This reverse mission, organized by Proexca and the Association of Canary Island Banana Producers' Organisations (Asprocan), brought together representatives from Coop supermarkets, the ripening company Fruttital SRL, and the Spanish operator Hermanos Fernández López, with the goal of increasing Canary Island banana exports to Italy.
The strategy isn't new. In 2012, Proexca launched a campaign to promote bananas outside Spain during the Fruit Logistica fair in Berlin, securing deals with major supermarkets Karstadt and Kaufhof, as well as municipal markets in Cologne and Berlin.
However, Chiquita's progress is raising concerns in the Canary Islands' banana sector. "They are coordinating extensive logistical plans to flood the market," warns Theo Hernando, secretary general of Asaga Canarias Asaja, commenting on the activities of the American company within the framework of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement. "They are taking our share. We are behind on the diversification efforts we aimed for, to reduce reliance on the mainland market and to promote organic bananas."
Hernando calls for sector unity to stay competitive: "What is needed to avoid losing ground is for everyone to pull together and be more efficient in terms of production and distribution costs. Currently, bananas from the Canary Islands are shipped under twenty brands. Having so many organizations, each with its own packaging, freight, lorries, and delivery, creates a disorganized system."
The new Chiquita ripening center, operated by Gimatrans, covers 5,000 m² and, according to Crónica del Campo, "has 24 double-level ripening chambers and two high-speed packaging lines, capable of producing up to 45 trays per minute. Additionally, its advanced storage and control capacity ensure uniform ripening in five days, with a rotation that does not exceed seven days." The bananas arrive from the ports of Vado Ligure, Civitavecchia, Salerno, and Gioia Tauro.
The Plataforma Agraria Libre de Canarias (Palca) and the association Por un Precio Justo y Auténtico del Plátano (For a Fair and Authentic Banana Price) highlight the severity of the situation. "The sector is on the brink of collapse, and authorities are not responding to the ongoing price drop," they warn. They also point out the uncontrolled spread of pests as an additional problem. They strongly state: "This is not a way to save the Canary Islands' banana."
Source: diariodeavisos.elespanol.com