Price of a box of bananas remains at $ 6.25

The representatives of the export and producer sectors reached an agreement to maintain the minimum support price of the banana box at $ 6.25, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock officially announced.

The agreement was finalized during the Consultative Council Banana Price Agreement Table that took place last Friday.

At the meeting, the members presented their reasons. William Ramón, from the producer sector, said that they should consider production costs and proposed that the value of the banana box be $ 7.19.

Ramón was one of the representatives who mentioned that the only thing they signed was an attendance record and not an agreement and that they will then present a clarifying document to the authorities.

“They were separate positions, at no time did we even discuss them and we assumed it was going to stay that way,” says Ramón.

Recently, the National Banana Federation of Ecuador (Fenabe) clarified that there was no agreement and asked the Government to rectify. He said that it was misinterpreted “that the proposal of the exporting sector was approved by the producing sector.”

In the agreement document released by the Ministry, the position of the export sector is detailed. Iván Wong, one of the representatives, indicated that increasing the price would cause more informality “due to the existence of companies that do not comply with the established price.” He suggested that the cost be maintained.

Leonardo Viteri was another of the representatives of that sector and requested that the price be met.

A producer union says that the document on the agreement for the price of a box of bananas is “illegal”

Meanwhile, Julio Cruz, representative of the producers, proposed new meetings between both sectors to find solutions. In addition, that the purchase of the fruit under test is eliminated or, if authorized, that the official price is respected.

Other members of the Banana Price Agreement Board of the Advisory Council presented their reasons and agreed to set the minimum support price of the banana box at $ 6.25.

The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Pedro Álava, found this fixation “incredible”. He said that the competitiveness with the Central American countries, to place the fruit in Europe, has not allowed the price of bananas to rise.

“And I thank the gentlemen who participated in this fixation because at the moment that the neighboring countries, Central American, banana producers had known that the official price box increased, they lowered it because they act very free of the market,” he said. .

The table was held at the Undersecretary of Musáceas Strengthening in the Zonal Government, in Guayaquil.

And the appointment was called by the Ministry of Agriculture, in accordance with article 1 of the Law that regulates the Production and Trade of Bananas, in relation to the fourth paragraph of article 3 of the Regulation to the Law to Stimulate and Control the Production and Marketing of Bananas. Banana, Plantain (barraganete) and other related Musaceae destined for Exportation. (I)