After the heavy rains and floods, banana growers have returned to the Argentine market, which is demanding quality products. The sector is resuming export of 2,800 tons a week to Argentina, but now it must compete against the banana of Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay and Ecuador, which has a higher quality and resistance.
30 percent of the bananas consumed in Argentina are from Bolivia, which has positioned its product there thanks to its taste. Foreign producers have a more uniform banana because they use certified seed that their government gives them and that are resistant to pests and climatic effects. Meanwhile, Bolivia’s banana is a mixture of the Creole, Balleri, Williams, and Yapa varieties, and only some of them are from improved seeds.
Bolivia’s National Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Innovation (Iniaf) is in charge of providing producers with improved seed and technical advice, but they do not provide either of the two services.
Producers have asked for a center of technological innovation and the creation of the national banana program, but to date they have not achieved anything.
Moreover, transport costs for Brazilian and Paraguayan products are lower than for Bolivians, which makes their products cheaper than the one from Bolivia.
In 2018, Bolivia exported 128.7 million kilos of bananas worth 33 million dollars to Argentina. In 2017, it exported 153.8 million kilos for 39 million dollars, according to the Bolivian Foreign Trade Institute.
Source: Laura Manzaneda, Los Tiempos
Translation: Freshplaza