The death by crucifixion applied by the President of the Republic Guillermo Lasso by decree 741 of May 17 also affected the bills processed by the dissolved National Assembly. One of them was the new Banana Law which included modality stains -without contract and at market price- this would add to the only one so far recognized in the banana regulations, which have been in force since 1997, the minimum support price (PMS) contract modality.

In the last six years, five projects to reform the Banana Law passed through the Assembly. None progressed

This project is the sixth attempt to update the Law on Bananas, which has been registered in the National Assembly’s Committee for Food Sovereignty and Development of the Agriculture and Fisheries Sector since 2017, none of which has seen the light of day.

In the parliamentary system, two of these projects, from 2017 and 2018, appear to be in process (distribution for second debate); one from 2019 is under revision in the Legislative Administrative Council (CAL); the second one from January 10, 2022 is under review in the Committee for the first discussion, as well as the last project presented on September 8 last year.

While the sixth and last processed project, which already had a report for the second debate in the Parliament, is waiting for a new convocation of the National Assembly, which will take office in a maximum of six months.

EL UNIVERSO newspaper consulted representatives of exporters’ and producers’ unions about the future of this new law.

Based in Guayaquil, the banana growers insist on getting only $2 or $3 per box of bananas

Richard Salazar, Executive Director of the Ecuadorian Banana Marketing and Export Association (Acorbanec)he reminded that it was a law that had been worked on for several years, and which sought to open the market stains, modality that confronts producers and exporters since last year.

Why confess? He explained that modality stains Informally used to export bananas, recognizing that 55% of export destinations for the fruit are markets managed by purchasing in stains. There are, for example, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa and part of Russia.

“We have adapted to the world market, what has not been adapted is the regulation, in fact it is sold at a price stains informally, that’s why we’re going to the National Assembly”, emphasized the leader for whom there are two options: that the law enters through the executive power (decree law) or that we wait for a new convocation of the Assembly to deal with the project.

In any case, if a new convocation of the Assembly is expected, Salazar said that “I don’t think it will start from scratch, but from the report issued by the Commission for Food Sovereignty”.

José Antonio Hidalgo, Executive Director of the Association of Ecuadorian Banana Exporters (AEBE)he agreed with Salazar, pointing out that the project aims to make the business with bananas transparent, but indicated that they must wait for the new convocation of the parliament.

“This will have to wait until the formation of the next assembly, where we hope that the transparency and technical arguments of a business that depends on foreign currency and labor will always prevail, in order to formalize the banana sector,” said Hidalgo, who recalled that the project has undergone a process of socialization through technical tables, along with the Commission’s reports, and was ready to go to the plenary session.

Despite the deadlines for signing the contract, the sale of bananas at the spot price was imposed in 2023

However, not all actors in the chain share this criterion. The project also had observations and complaints from some representatives of the manufacturing sector.

One of them is Franklin Torres, President of the National Banana Federation (Fenabe), who pointed out that after the dissolution of the Assembly, only the report of the Commission remained, with which the producers do not agree, says the leader, because the project was not socialized as provided by the Constitution. “It will be the next Assembly that will define it,” said the head of Fenabe.

“We must remind MAG (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock) and the export sector that the current Banana Law is still in force and must be respected as they publicly promised last September, even gave their word of honor” – he stressed Torres.

Segundo Solano, Vice President of Fenabe and President of the Orenses Banana Growers Association (ABO)He assured that the project is still in force.

“This law was discussed, it was sent to the Commission for Food Sovereignty, the technical commission, and it was returned to the Assembly, in fact it was already in the plenary session of the Assembly, but as with the death on the cross, it was already omitted, then the new National Assembly will have to deal with it,” said the head of Orense.

Banana Treaty Signing: The Banana Law shows that it is not valid at this time

While, Lucía Placencia, former Vice President of the Commission for Food Sovereignty and Development of the Agriculture and Fisheries SectorThe National Assembly which was dissolved due to the cross death, indicated that the next committee to be formed in the new legislature will be able to pick up the bill from where the committee she co-chaired left off or they can start over with a new project.

“The banana law remains in the hands of the next National Assembly, it convenes a session that was pending to see whether or not to approve the final text, if not, it goes to the file or leaves it there, coincidentally, there were three bills that could unite , at the end of the day, if the political will is there, it will continue,” Placencia said.