Banana exports report growth at the end of 2024, despite a challenging year marked by climatic conditions, logistical obstacles, and local factors such as energy rationing and security issues. A positive growth rate highlights how the sector has remained strong, increasing shipments to key markets such as South Korea (220%), France (118%), Italy (33%), the United States (25%), and Germany (15%), offsetting reductions in regions like Russia (-13.1%) and the Middle East (-6.26%).
Ecuador exported a total of 364.16 million boxes of bananas by the end of 2024, representing an increase of 5.06 million boxes (1.42%) compared to the same period in 2023. Despite reduced demand in Russia (-11.54%) and the Middle East (-6.66%), increased shipments to other regions such as the European Union (3.18%), the United States (24.85%), the Southern Cone (12.95%), Eastern Europe (30.05%), Asia (4.92%), and EFTA Europe (24.50%) have helped drive the sector’s performance, surpassing last year’s records. In the European Union, cumulative exports increased by 3.26 million boxes compared to 2023, despite a decline in banana arrivals from dollar-origin countries in the final months of the year.
The countries with the most notable growth rates are Malta (244.5%), France (118.1%), Italy (33%), and Germany (14.9%). These three destinations accounted for an estimated additional 8.27 million boxes exported by the end of the year. In Asia, a positive variation of 1.09 million additional boxes (4.92%) was achieved, with South Korea standing out, showing a remarkable growth of 220.9% and an additional 2.98 million boxes exported to this market. Conversely, Russia ended the year with negative results, registering 8.75 million fewer boxes. China, a market with high expectations for improvement following the signing of the FTA, also closed with a negative rate, with 2.3 million fewer boxes exported (-14.96%).
Adverse logistical conditions were a persistent obstacle that the sector had to navigate throughout the year. In the first half of the year, drought in Panama and conflicts in the Red Sea caused delays and restrictions on maritime traffic. Later, after overcoming these challenges, the limited availability of containers in the final months of the year continued to pose logistical hurdles. Locally, security-related issues and energy rationing led to disruptions in transportation and interruptions in the continuity of productive activities across various parts of the value chain. The adaptability of the stakeholders within the chain was key to maintaining productive operations and commercial flow, ensuring the export of the fruit.
On the other hand, weather conditions were one of the main challenges for the production sector. Starting in the second half of the year, average temperatures were consistently lower than in 2023, with most weeks reporting temperatures below 25°C. In addition to suboptimal temperatures, droughts were reported in areas of El Oro province during the last months of the year. This resulted in a lower banana supply compared to 2023 during several consecutive weeks.
In December (weeks 49-52), the national average for bagging per hectare was 38.19 compared to 41.42 reported in 2023, closing the year with lower productivity. At the company level, some exporters managed to increase their export volumes. Notably, Ubesa (22.47%), Interbananaexport (44.49%), and Frutadeli (12.89%) collectively shipped an additional 11.62 million boxes compared to 2023 levels. Conversely, companies such as Exporbanana (-31.05%) and Agzulasa (-18.73%) experienced a decline in their export volumes.