SOURCE: Ivan Alejandro Hernandez, El Diario
TRANSLATION: Freshplaza
Despite the shortage of bananas in the market last year due to the loss of 600 hectares of cultivation in La Palma caused by the eruption of the volcano in Cumbre Vieja, producers had to withdraw a total of 2.7 million kilos of bananas in 2022 due to the production peaks there were since week 49.
“In the last four weeks of the year, our production was well above our historical average. We have more than 8.5 million kilos of bananas per week, which is 1.5 million above the average of the last decade. We had a lack of supply but, surprisingly, production increased and, in just a month, not only did we have enough supply but more than average. This coincided with Christmas, a time when we all change our habits and consume other products,” stated Sergio Caceres, manager of the Association of Banana Producing Organizations of the Canary Islands (Asprocan). As a result, he said, Asprocan applied mechanisms it uses when there is a market crisis.
Weekly, the Association of Banana Producing Organizations of the Canary Islands (Asprocan) assesses the supply available and the market situation and decides what amount it will send. Sometimes, they withdraw a certain amount of product to market all the fruit and to prevent the excess supply from significantly lowering prices. This reduction must be authorized by the Government of the Canary Islands, which has the power to determine the number of kilos that are finally removed. The withdrawal of fruit is regulated by a 2007 Community regulation which justifies this action when there are exceptional market circumstances.
The trend continues in January, as producers withdrew 1.8 million kilos in the first two weeks. All of this leftover fruit is destined for food banks scattered throughout the Spanish geography, retained in the field, or destined for the local market.