Bananas, the Canary Islands' flagship export, are recovering from last year's losses (caused by violent winds). Compared to 2012, almost 11,000 tonnes more have been shipped; a situation which, according to sources from the Canary Islands' Association of Banana Producer Organisations (Asprocan), will alleviate the 25,000 tonne loss that took place during 2012's last quarter.
Overall, the Islands' banana producers exported a total of 29,396 tonnes; 56.74% more than in the same month of 2012 (18,755 tonnes). According to data from the Canarian Institute of Statistics (Istac), Gran Canaria is the island growing the most, with 84.86% more, as it went from 2,477 tonnes in October last year to this year's 4,579 tonnes.
Nevertheless, Tenerife and La Palma remain as the largest exporters, with 12,560 and 11,627 tonnes respectively. The greatest increase was registered in Tenerife, which saw a 58.55% growth of its exports, compared to the 46.54% of La Palma.
Istac also reveals that barely 0.26% of all banana exports are shipped to foreign countries. "Our main consumer is the Iberian Peninsula," assure sources from Asprocan.
Source: Laopinion.es