José Antonio Hidalgo, executive director of Aebe, assured that no one prevents producers from exporting “to go and do it.”
The export sector reacted to the request made public this Friday morning by the banana producers affiliated to the National Federation of Banana Producers of Ecuador (Fenabe), on the intention of directly marketing the fruit with international supermarkets.
The request was made by the president of Fenabe, Franklin Torres, who requested financial and legal support from the Government to carry out this project.
From Fenabe it was indicated that small and medium banana producers lost around $ 600 million in 2021, upon receiving an average of $ 4 per box of export bananas, despite the fact that the minimum support price was $ 6.25; and it was ensured that some exporters intend to make them sign, this year, contracts below the price established by law. By 2022 the price of the box remained at $ 6.25.
Banana producers ask the Government for support to directly market the fruit with international supermarkets
Given the position of the producers, José Antonio Hidalgo, Executive Director of the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE), was in favor of the announcement of the producers on exporting directly and assured that “nobody is preventing them, that they go and do it”.
However, he clarified several details that producers must meet to achieve this.
“The ideal is that they generate their associativity, certify themselves, make an effort, work with productivity and competitiveness and be able to make their approaches as an association, more or less, as an example I take Asoguabo or San Miguel de Brasil, who have known how to associate and work in sustainability and that they are reaching directly to supermarkets, to international buyers, but it is a process of discipline, of following standards, the norms of the law and having a collective effort, ”said Hidalgo.
Meanwhile, regarding the producers’ complaints about the alleged disrespect to the minimum support price of the banana box, Hidalgo indicated that there are official channels where producers can formally make their complaints by presenting all the supporting documentation.
“I think that the (communication) media are not a form, but also have concrete actions, if they are also within a formality,” said Hidalgo.
For its part, Richard Salazar, executive director of the Banana Marketing and Export Association (Acorbanec), He described the producers’ request as absurd from the point of view of who it is addressed to, although he also had concerns about the final intention of the request.
He assured that it does not depend on the Government for an exporter or producer to access a supermarket and clarified that supermarkets or importers are very demanding in quality, certifications and compliance.
“You have to deliver in the supermarket warehouses and the investment is high, since you have to contract freight and ripening at destination. But the most important thing is that it is a business between private parties and governments do not intervene beyond helping to promote exports ”, said the Acorbanec manager, who warned that the market is driven by supply and demand.
Production costs and the Fusarium Race 4 bring together ministers from banana countries
Salazar analyzed that Fenabe producers are giving the wrong approach to the current situation of international banana prices, by ensuring that supermarkets are the ones that intend to pay less for the fruit, despite the rise in production and export costs and shipping freight.
“It is an issue that originates from international buyers, they intend to blame the exporters by this group of producers, for them nothing happens outside, which is wrong from that point of view,” said Salazar, and did an invitation to this producing sector.
“We invite them to export fruits like other associations of banana producers do that directly export their fruits, they bundle, market and see what happens outside, not like those who only live complaining (…) for them the only solution it is the price issue, there are no other problems and the only culprits are the exporters ”, criticized Salazar, who regretted that they minimize the work of the rest of the chain’s actors. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
