The Canary plantain is looking to gain a foothold as a gourmet product in the German market, which this year has begun
exporting an average of 20,000 kilos per week.
This was stated by the president of the advertising committee of the Association of the Canary Plantain Producer
Organisations (Asprocan), Victor Martin, in a presentation of the Promotion Plan of the Outermost Regions (RUP) held in Madrid.
Martin noted that the market in Germany has begun in Berlin and Cologne and is going towards small and high-end markets, since the Canary plantain production costs are "much higher" than those of the tropical banana, so it comes to competing in the field of quality.
He recalled that to facilitate the internationalization of Canary plantains, Asprocan Export has been constructed, which channels marketing abroad, where this year promotional campaigns have been made both in Germany and Belgium.
Martin stressed the importance of these actions to defend the canary crop competition from third countries, which is increasing due to the reduction of import tariffs on Latin American products and the increasing production of African countries like Cameroon, Ivory Coast or Gana, who enter the community market without tariffs.
The campaign that was launched in Madrid aims to enhance the RUP seal, created by the European Union to encourage the consumption of the products from these regions, and will tour a dozen Spanish cities.
The initiative points out the importance of the plantain to the archipelago, where there are some 10,000 farmers who produce about 400,000 tons annually, as well as the product quality, traditional character and sustainable plantations.
In this sense, Martin recalled that the Canarian plantain stays three more months than the one in the tropical banana tree, which affects the fruit flavor and quality.
With regard to demand in the peninsula, he has said it is stable and the market plantain share is between 70% and 80%, compared to the banana which has between 20% and 30%.
In recent weeks, he added, high temperatures have led to a peak of production, affecting the prices.
Tenerife is leading the plantain production, followed by La Palma, Gran Canaria, La Gomera and El Hierro.
Regarding this last island, he has indicated that the recent decline in the number of shipping lines is also affecting plantain producers.
Source: Eldia