Chiquita is collaborating with the Bank of America Chicago Marathon for another year to provide runners with a natural energy boost. This year, Chiquita has pushed beyond performance and nutrition, focusing on bringing joy and fun to the event. With over 70,000 bananas donated, Chiquita will fuel athletes during the race and help them recover with the perfect snack while encouraging them to embrace the lighter side of participating in such a joyful event.

Chiquita is eagerly preparing to return to the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) Trade Show for another year of exciting new launches. The main attraction at this year's trade show is the introduction of Chiquita's Yelloway One (YW01), a groundbreaking new banana prototype resistant to diseases and low in carbon emissions. Additionally, Chiquita will unveil its new Sustainability Report and immerse visitors in a taste of the tropics, allowing fresh produce experts to connect and learn more about cutting-edge innovations and industry trends.

Colombia exported more than 63.7 million boxes of bananas between January and July of this year, which is 10 million more than the same period in 2023, according to figures available today from the Banana Growers Association (Augura). The association also reported an increase in the value of external sales during the first seven months, rising from $510.6 million to $591.5 million, which is 15.8 per cent higher than the previous year.

Banana selling prices in St. Petersburg ranged from USD 17.80 to 18.85 per box CIF from Monday to Tuesday, prices began to rise on Wednesday, reaching approximately USD 20.00 per box CIF. Nearly 1.35 million boxes were discharged in week 41 and around 1.7 million are expected for week 42. The exchange rate during this period was 1 USD = 97.24 RUB. Prices for Ecuadorian bananas in the Mediterranean ranged from approximately USD 16.00-17.00 per box CIF to USD 21.00-23.00 per box, depending on the brand, volume, region, and packing. The highest prices were seen in Algeria, at around USD 23.00 per box CIF, and in Libya, where they sold for about USD 18.00 per box CIF. Bananas from Central America or Colombia were priced at around USD 2.00 less per box. In the Free Zone of Mersin, prices for re-exported Ecuadorian bananas ranged from USD 15.00 to around USD 18.00 per box. Bananas from Central America or Colombia were quoted at approximately USD 13.00-14.00 per box, depended on the brand, volume, packing, and box weight. The exchange rate was 1 USD=34.29 TL.

Maersk has officially named its latest dual-fuel methanol container vessel, "Alexandra Maersk," at a ceremony held at the Port of Felixstowe, U.K. The ship's godmother, Director of People & Culture at Primark, Elaine Condon, symbolised the strong logistics and sustainability partnership between Maersk and Primark. "Alexandra Maersk" is the sixth vessel in Maersk's fleet capable of operating on methanol, part of a series of 18 large dual-fuel ships scheduled for delivery by 2025. Each can carry more than 16,000 standard containers (TEU).

Gemini Cooperation, the entity formed by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd to unify their operations on East-West Routes in early 2025, has decided to launch its services via the Cape of Good Hope. "After thorough consideration and given the continued safety concerns in the Red Sea, Hapag-Lloyd AG (Hapag-Lloyd) and Maersk A/S (Maersk), an entity under A.P. Moller – Maersk, confirm that they expect to phase in their Cape of Good Hope network for the commencement of the Gemini Cooperation on 1 February 2025," Maersk announced in Europe on October 9th.

Uniban returns to Fruit Attraction 2024 and will present some of its latest moves to optimise its fruit export network. This is the case of Puerto Antioquia, a site equipped with advanced technology for cargo handling and refrigerated storage, which will improve the transport of products such as bananas, plantains, avocados and mangoes. According to Manuel Laborde, executive president of Uniban, this investment "will strengthen Colombia's export capacity and underscores the company's commitment to sustainable growth."

Gabaceras will be present at Fruit Attraction in Madrid with its stand, and a firm strategy focused on boosting its international expansion and representing its values and those of the group it belongs to, Europlátano, one of the six organisations that make up "Plátano de Canarias". Founded in 1992 in the Valle de Aridane, on the island of La Palma, Europlátano has been marketing "Plátano de Canarias" under the Gabaceras brand since its inception. Since 2016, the group has expanded its presence in new and profitable European markets such as Switzerland, Poland, and France.

Banana selling prices in St. Petersburg during the week took a nosedive due to weak demand, falling to USD 17.30-18.35 per box CIF according to brand, volume, and packing. Poor-quality fruit also sold for around USD14.15 per box CIF. Approximately 1.515 million boxes were discharged, and around 1.320 million boxes are expected for week 41. The exchange rate was 1 USD = 95.03 RUB. Prices for Ecuadorian bananas in the Mediterranean ranged from USD 15.0 to 18.0 per box CIF, depending on brand, volume, region, and packing. In Libya, prices reached USD 18.0 per box CIF, while Central American bananas were sold at around USD 16.0 per box CIF. In Mersin, re-exported Ecuadorian bananas were priced between USD 14.0 and 17.50 per box, and Central American bananas were sold for approximately USD 12.0 to 14.0 per box. All prices varied according to brand, origin, volume, weight, and packing. The exchange rate was 1 USD = 34.25TL. The Iranian domestic market prices for Ecuadorian bananas ranged from 80,000 to 95,000 IRT per kg and around 69,000 to 75,000 IRT per kg. There were still a limited number of banana import licenses. The price for a 13.5 kg box of Indian bananas was USD 10.50 CIF in Bandar Abbas and around USD 9.50 CIF in Umm Qasr, Iraq.

U.S. dock workers and port operators have reached a tentative deal to immediately end a three-day strike that has shut down shipping on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast. The tentative agreement is for a wage hike of around 62% over six years. That would raise average wages to about $63 (€57) from $39 an hour over the contract's life. The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) workers union had been seeking a 77% raise, while the employer group, United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), had previously raised its offer to a nearly 50% hike.

Quito, Ecuador - The PremioeXpor 2024 gala, organized by the Ecuadorian Federation of Exporters (Fedexpor), was held on September 19. During the ceremony, awards were given to companies that during the last year stood out for their performance in international sales, diversification of commercial destinations and product portfolio, in addition to demonstrating the highest standards of certifications, leading processes of sustainability, innovation, safety, talent development and contribution to the community.

Gasum will bunker Hapag-Lloyd's container vessels with 20,000 mt of bio-LNG in 2025–2026. The energy company Gasum is collaborating with Hapag-Lloyd to supply their container vessels with liquefied biomethane (bio-LNG) during a two-year tender period. Earlier this year, Hapag-Lloyd, one of the world's leading container shipping companies, won the first tender from the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) for ocean shipping based on waste-based bio-LNG that achieves at least a 90 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (Midagri) has created the Task Force to address the national phytosanitary emergency caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 or TR4 in banana cultivation. This decision was formalised through Ministerial Resolution No. 0301-2024-MIDAGRI, published in the special edition of the Legal Norms Bulletin of the official newspaper El Peruano.

The Technical Mission of the Republic of China (Taiwan), in conjunction with the National Central School of Agriculture (ENCA) of Guatemala, has established an alliance to support the new tissue culture laboratory at this educational institution. This collaboration aims to promote the production of healthy banana seedlings to boost the banana industry in Guatemala. A team of researchers from Agrosavia, the Tibaitatá and Palmira Research Centers, the University of La Sabana, and the Earlham Institute in the United Kingdom has conducted an innovative study, which has been published in the journal G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics.

Banana selling prices in St. Petersburg ranged from USD 18.60 to USD 19.75 per box CIF during the week, influenced by brand, quality, volume, and packing factors. Prices were higher than the past week due to the seasonally higher demand for bananas. Approximately 1.005 million boxes were discharged in week 35, with an anticipated discharge of around 1.155 million boxes in week 36. The exchange rate was 1 USD = 89.70 RUB. Banana prices in the Mediterranean for Ecuadorian bananas ranged from USD 16.00 to USD 21.00 per box CIF, influenced by brand, volume, region, packing, and weight. The highest prices were observed in Algeria at USD 21.00 per box CIF and in Libya at USD 18.00-19.00 per box CIF. In Algeria, several containers remained still blocked at the port of Ghazaouet following recent narcotic discoveries. In the Mersin Free Zone, re-exported Ecuadorian bananas to the neighbouring countries were priced between USD 16.00 and USD 17.00 per box, depending on brand, quality, volume, and packing. Prices reached up to USD 19.00 per box for extra-quality and heavier boxes. Central American brands were priced between USD 13.00 and USD 16.00 per box.