The Canary Islands imports about 90% of the basic foodstuffs that the population needs, so both the cultivation and the export of Canary bananas constitute a strategic pillar for the regional economy, because of its capacity to generate stable employment throughout the year and give a boost to the economy.
The cultivation of bananas generates more than 8,000 direct jobs, which today represent a gross annual salary of more than 150 million Euro. More than one million kilograms are exported from the Canary Islands to the Iberian Peninsula every day in refrigerated containers; thus, Canary bananas are the product that compensates part of the high cost of the region's external dependence.
The social and economic implications of Canary bananas make them a necessary product, not only for the more than 15,000 families that depend directly on them, but also for the more than 2 million inhabitants of the islands.
Great consumption in Spain
In 2016, Canary bananas have maintained the trust of consumers, with a market share of 73.9% of Spanish households; 1.9% more than in 2015. This growth has additionally been observed in a period that has been hugely challenging for the producers and distributors of Canary bananas due to the strong growth of the production.
The increase of the quota contrasts with the general stagnation of the fruit market in Spain. In this context, the imported and Canary banana market in the Peninsula and Balearic Islands has grown by 4.7% in 2016, reaching 503,047,750 kilograms.
This growth in the consumption of imported and Canary bananas, with an increase of 21.5 million kilos, has made it possible to sell 30 million kilos more than in the previous year. Specifically, the Canary Islands recorded an 8.5% increase of its marketed volume in the Peninsula, reaching 378 million kilos for consumption in 2016.
Over the past year, Canary bananas have given a boost to the demand while fully covering the growth of the same, managing thus to regain 1.9% of the market share from imported bananas. Canary bananas have been able to compensate for the greater production with a continuous improvement in the market share, going from 61.3% in 2013 to 73.9% in 2016.
By areas of the Peninsula, the region that recorded the greatest consumption of Canary bananas during 2016 was Andalusia, followed by Catalonia, Aragon and the area of the Levante.
Source: laopinion.es
