"Costa Rica currently produces and exports around 1.2 million boxes of bananas a year, from approximately 40,200 hectares concentrated mainly in the Atlantic region of Limón," says Marcial Chaverri, CEO of Corbana, the organisation representing Costa Rican banana producers and exporters. "Production has had its share of turbulence: the harvest reached 1.5 million boxes in 2024, only to drop to 1.2 million in 2025 due to Sigatoka pressure. For 2026, a recovery to between 1.3 and 1.4 million boxes is projected."
"Exports flow in two main directions: approximately 29% to the United States and 64% to Europe, with just 7% going to the rest of the world. That concentration is a vulnerability, but also an opportunity," Chaverri notes.
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Marcial Chaverri, General Manager of Corbana.
Taking on Ecuador on its own turf
One of Corbana's most ambitious strategic bets is its push into South America, a market currently dominated by Ecuador. It's a decision that raises eyebrows. Why would Costa Rica want to go head-to-head with the region's undisputed heavyweight? "Market diversification is always a valid competitive strategy. Ecuador is the world's largest banana producer, but we are more productive per hectare," Chaverri responds.
The commercial logic is straightforward: every major buyer in the world wants at least two suppliers. In South America, Ecuador is currently the only option. When Corbana representatives visited the region, demand was immediately apparent. Other emerging markets on the radar include China, Vietnam, Argentina, and Chile.
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To support this strategy, Corbana has been stepping up its international presence. The organisation works closely with Procomer, Costa Rica's foreign trade promotion agency, and participates in trade fairs in Germany, Spain, Chile, and the United States. Last year, in what was a symbolic milestone for the sector, Corbana had its own stand at Fruit Attraction in Madrid for the first time, shared with four independent exporters selling directly to international buyers.
Thirty years unchanged, and then everything shifted
For three decades, Corbana's governance structure and ways of working remained virtually unchanged. That changed radically in the past year and a half. The organisation now has a communications and marketing department for the first time and is rethinking from the ground up how it engages with its members. "We're more present with them," says Chaverri. "We try to understand their needs and incorporate them into our work plans."
The broader ambition is a significant technological leap. "In some ways, we're still at the Technology 1.0 stage. We absolutely need to make the jump to the 4.0 era." That applies to R&D and innovation, but also to how the sector is financed. Corbana is developing a corporate venture capital fund to complement an existing credit fund.
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The organisation also enjoys international recognition for its scientific department, which collaborates with institutions such as Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. Several of its technicians hold PhDs and master's degrees from there. That scientific pillar is now being refocused to better serve the practical needs of producers in the field.
Living with disease, and bracing for something worse
No conversation about bananas would be complete without mentioning TR4—Tropical Race 4 Fusarium—the fungal disease that many experts believe could eventually threaten the global supply of Cavendish bananas. Chaverri doesn't dismiss the risk but puts it in perspective. "It's definitely a priority, and we work preventively, applying biosecurity protocols on a permanent basis."
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Costa Rica's relatively protected status is partly due to strict biosecurity measures. Visits from producers from countries such as Paraguay, Ecuador, or Colombia to local plantations are not permitted, specifically to limit exposure risk. The banana industry actively monitors, supports, and advocates for the implementation of biosecurity protocols and border control obligations.
For now, though, the most pressing day-to-day battles are against Black Sigatoka and Moko disease. "We have more problems with Sigatoka, Moko, and other pests. While TR4 remains a serious threat, it's these diseases that keep producers on their guard every single day in the field."
Room to grow
Corbana's growth plans are substantial: a 40% increase in cultivated area over the next six years, adding around 15,000 hectares. Chaverri brushes aside environmental concerns, pointing to large tracts of unused agricultural land — more than 50,000 hectares held by INDER, the rural development institute — that are lying largely idle. "We have enormous amounts of land going to waste... and nothing is being done with it."
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The farm worker of the future
Labour is a persistent challenge across Costa Rican agriculture, though Chaverri frames it as a transition rather than a crisis. "Wages are rising, and people no longer want to work in the fields." His answer, once again, lies in technology.
The farm worker of the future, he argues, will manage drone systems, irrigation technology, and mechanized operations—"with technology in the tractor, but also air conditioning and Spotify on board." The same logic applies to packing plants, where automation will progressively reduce the need for manual labour. And the stakes are high: 98% of banana production is concentrated in the Limón region, where around 83% of the workforce depends directly or indirectly on the sector.
Ports, prices, and the sustainability debate
One of the biggest bottlenecks for diversification is port infrastructure. The Caribbean port of Limón, operated by APM Terminals, is effectively an agricultural port: bananas account for 66% of its total movements. And it is, Chaverri says bluntly, "one of the most expensive ports in the world." On the Pacific side, the port of Caldera needs to be developed into a viable banana export hub, with access to South America and the US West Coast. "It's the classic chicken-and-egg problem: shipping lines won't come if there's no port, and the port won't develop if the shipping lines don't come."
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On sustainability — and the living wage debate in particular — Costa Rica should not, according to Chaverri, be measured by the same yardstick as Guatemala or other Latin American countries. "The gap between them and us is so large that the comparison makes no sense. As an OECD member with a broad middle class and minimum wages far above those of competing nations, Costa Rica's context is simply different."
Telling the story better
Despite the pressure from disease, the labour transition, port constraints, and the demands of market diversification, Chaverri closes the conversation with quiet confidence: "We're very proud to supply markets with Costa Rican bananas. We know we have an exceptionally high quality and a way of producing that is very different from other producers in the world."
The challenge, he acknowledges, is making sure that difference is reflected in the price. And to do that, you need to tell the story better. Which is precisely what Corbana's new chapter is all about.
For more information:
Marcial Chaverri (General Manager)
Corbana (National Banana Corporation)
Zapote, Diagonal to Casa Presidencial
San José (Costa Rica)
Tel.: +506 4002 4700
[email protected]
www.corbana.co.cr
