by David Ivanovic – June 16, 2009
Impressive Eurostat numbers, at least for your humble “data cruncher”, are showing no signs of slowing down in the European banana business. In 2008, 4.6 million tons have been imported by the EU15 countries; import volumes (from non-European origins) have grown by more than 36% between 2004 and 2008. The banana “oligarchy” (70% of total imports controlled by Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica) continues to maintain and increase its presence, and European demand shows no sign of wading.
As Colombian shipments arrived at a rate of 17% annually (!), volumes from West Africa (Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire) have rebounded in 2008, surpassing for the first time the levels recorded five years ago.
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Interesting, just to highlight the plight of Ecuador....
Ecuador rejects EU calls to drop banana suit
The government of Ecuador has rejected EU calls for it to drop its WTO banana suit, while a settlement is negotiated. The Ecuadorian government has called on the EU to ‘stick to the tariff deal negotiated in July 2008’ on the fringes of the WTO ministerial meeting. Under this deal ‘the EU would have to cut its banana import tariff of US$227.5 per tonne to €114 by 2016, with an initial cut to €148’.
This comes against the background of EU proposals tabled at the end of February 2009 to ‘lower the current tariff of €176 per tonne to €114 per tonne by 2019 … after an initial decline [the tariff] would be frozen at €136 per tonne from 2011 to 2014. Gradual reductions would then resume until 2019’.
ACP countries have responded critically to the EC proposals, estimating that the deal would cost ACP suppliers €350 million in lost revenues between 2009 and 2016. The EC in response has offered to establish a new banana-sector assistance programme with an allocation of €100 million for the 2010-13 period. ACP governments have however rejected this offer as inadequate, arguing that it ‘doesn’t even scratch the surface of the needs of our banana growers’.
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