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.

Fairtrade International has introduced a new Living Income Reference Price tool, expanding its suite of digital tools to assist companies in creating sustainable supply chains. This tool, available on the Fairtrade International website, simplifies the process for companies to determine the prices necessary to ensure living incomes and wages. Users can search for Living Income Reference Prices by commodity or country using an interactive map and download reports detailing the factors and calculations behind each price.

The Banana Plant Tissue Production Centre at Kuvempu University, established to support local farmers, has been inactive for the past four years due to insufficient funding. The university has appealed to the State government for financial assistance to resume operations. The Department of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Biotechnology at the university set up the centre to provide farmers with healthy, disease-free banana plantlets at subsidised prices. Hundreds of farmers benefited from these plantlets, cultivating them successfully. While private sellers offered plantlets at prices ranging from ₹18 to ₹23 per plantlet, the university provided them at a much lower cost of ₹8 each.

Seaboard Marine has recently unveiled its latest venture in the maritime sector, placing an order for 1,000 Star Cool Integrated Reefers, some of which will feature Star Cool CA (Controlled Atmosphere) technology. This acquisition, managed through the leasing firm Global Container International (GCI), underscores Seaboard Marine's dedication to upgrading its fleet and boosting operational efficiency.

REYBANPAC, Ecuador's leading banana producer and second-largest exporter, has recently published its biennial sustainability report for 2022 and 2023. This is the first report under the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard. The new publication details the good environmental and social practices the company implemented under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during this period.

Juan Carlos Duarte, General Manager of Tecbaco, shares the company’s achievements and challenges in 2024. Despite lower performance compared to the previous year, Tecbaco exported 9.7 million boxes of bananas, with 63% conventional bananas and 37% organic, to various international destinations. Tecbaco expects to close in 2024 with a net profit of approximately $20 billion and export around 20 million boxes of bananas.

Dole Plc year-long 125th Banana-Versary celebration continues with another strategy centred on the beloved fruit. Dole is searching for 125 banana-loving runners in and around Charlotte, North Carolina, to participate in one of three events at the 2024 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon on November 16. “Dole’s partnership with the Charlotte Marathon simply reinforces what marathoners and other runners everywhere have known for years: Bananas are nature’s perfect pre-, during-, and post-race recovery food,” said William Goldfield, Director of Corporate Communications.

Canarian producers have stopped sending bananas to the market after five weeks of mismatches between supply and demand to "stabilise farms and avoid debt," according to Asprocan. The Association of Canary Banana Producers Organizations (Asprocan) has stated that "producers do not have the capacity to influence the retail price" and has pointed to the "current market situation" as the reason why the price of Canary Banana does not decrease despite lower demand.

In St. Petersburg, banana selling prices fluctuated significantly throughout the week. On Monday, prices ranged from USD 11.60 to 13.80 per box CIF. By Wednesday, prices stabilized around USD 13.80. On Thursday, prices increased to approximately USD 14.35 to 15.40 per box CIF. Finally, on Friday, prices reached USD 17.10 per box CIF. Prices were according to brand, volume, quality, and weight. According to local traders, the considerable price increase was attributed to a delay in the arrival of a container vessel at the Baltic port. The expected arrival date was shifted from September 3 to September 11, which caused a relative shortage of fruit. The exchange rate was 1 USD = 91.45 RUB. Prices in the Mediterranean for Ecuadorean bananas ranged from USD 16.0 to USD 19.0 per box CIF, depending on brand, volume, packing, and weight. In Libya, the CIF price for Ecuadorean bananas was around USD 22.0 per box. According to local traders, prices were very high due to limited volumes. In Algeria, where narcotics were found in containers at Gazahouet in bananas shipped from Ecuador, selling prices were reported to be at very high levels. Due to the findings, importers might have rejected many containers still in transit for fear of drug contamination, thus creating a severe shortage of bananas in the market.

A few days ago, in the Peruvian region of Piura, the banana variety known as GAL, resistant to the ‘Fusarium’ TR4 fungus, developed by Raham Meristem from Israel, was presented. The fungus, which is deadly to banana plantations, has been affecting banana plantations, especially in northern Peru. Thanks to the Israeli company Raham Meristem, the arrival of the seeds of this new variety in our country was made possible.

Before the Red Sea crisis, there was an oversupply of shipping containers. However, since the crisis began, voyages from Asia to the US and European markets have been extended, transforming the oversupply into a shortage. This year, it is expected to record one of the highest productions of containers, with manufacturers reporting that it will be booked entirely by October. Chinese manufacturers produced about 850,000 TEUs of dry and reefer containers in July alone.