The price crisis and the difficulties for thecommercialization of bananas, which have reached their highest level this year,are forcing many within the industry to rethink their conditions in order toavert this situation in the short and medium term.
The problem affects small and mediumgrowers, affected by a deep depression, and is forcing them to seekalternatives to overcome their conditions, such as direct commercialization andthe search for safer international markets with firm future perspectives.
Liliana Lara, Chief Executive ofAgricultural Producer Lara Patiño S.A., announced an attempt to hit thedifficult market of Houston, Texas, USA, with a first shipping of fruit underthe Katina seal, purchased with a legal contract by the North Americanimporter Agriproducción.
Raúl Lara, General Manager of the new Ecuadorianfirm, along with Kléber Navarro, Technical and Commercial Adviser, and DanielTello, Adviser and expert in foreign trade, confirmed after the first shipment,arranged in a banana-producing farm in La Peaña, that the objective is to sellpremium quality fruit.
To venture into agricultural exports they needed to meet all the legalrequirements under the current Banana Law enforced by the Ministry ofAgriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries (Magap).
The Manager explains that the negotiation is the result of numerous discussionsheld with North American entrepreneurs, who showed their interest inestablishing direct commercial links with Ecuadorian producers, prioritisingthe fulfilment of obligations according to the rules governing the business.
The presence of this newly-founded group in the middle of a crisis gives hopeto small and medium producers from the Oro Province, who still maintain aposition of leadership in the country with their 53,000 hectares of crops.
"We do it with the challenge of setting prices that adhere to Ecuadorianlaws (5.50 US Dollars) and stay afloat to satisfy the demands of smallproducers, who have always been the target of price and commercialcrises," said Kléber Navarro, member of the Technical Advisory group ofthe new Ecuadorian firm.
"Retaining the leadership in worldwide fruit commercialization for Ecuadorconstitutes an everyday challenge, because we go against a dynamic and highlycompetitive market, but we are able do it, as we always have since 1952 in theinternational banana market," asserted their Chief Executives.
Ecuador produces 5 million weekly boxes of fruit for commercialization by big,small and medium firms to markets in the US, the European Union, Russia and theMediterranean.
Source: Diariopinion