The 'International Market Study of New Products Derived from Organic Bananas and Fresh Organic Bananas', carried out within the framework of the Agroindustrial Innovation project for Organic Bananas, analyzed the existing problems in the banana chain caused by the high international competition, the reduction in exports, and the high volume of bananas discarded at the national level.
Piura, the main producing and exporting region of organic bananas in Peru –with a 93% participation in the sector–, discards an average of 30,000 tons of good quality fruit because they do not comply with the standards of International markets. These fruits are sold in the local market at a low price, generating an economic loss for the more than 9,000 organic banana producers in the region.
“The project's goal is to develop an agro-industrial enterprise of organic bananas that allows adding value to these discarded bananas, transforming them so they can reach important world markets and satisfy the economic needs of the producers,” stated Karlhos Quide Rodriguez, the Project Manager, in the presentation of the study.
Mauricio Chiaravalli, Deputy Director of the Swiss- SECO Cooperation in Peru highlighted the importance of organic bananas for Peru. The director of the cooperation said that, in 2020, organic bananas were one of the best-valued products internationally with an average price of 0.7 dollars per kilo, almost twice the price paid for organic bananas from other countries.
Results and application
The study, carried out by the Apbosmam and Cedepas Norte cooperative, with the support of the SeCompetitivo Program of the Swiss-SECO Cooperation with the facilitation of Helvetas, has made it possible to identify products that have market demand to begin an accompaniment and technical assistance process to start an agro-industrial operation; the main objective of the project.
This research document also includes an analysis of the demand for fresh organic bananas in international markets, trends in the coming years, and the current demands of these markets, regarding fresh products.
The study identified Switzerland, Finland, and Germany as markets for fresh organic bananas. Switzerland is the most attractive market as it presents greater opportunities for commercialization.
Source: infomercado.pe