Banana selling prices in St Petersburg according to brand, volume, quality, and packing were USD 21.95-23.10 per box CIF in a market where demand improved compared to the past week. Nearly 566.000 boxes were discharged in week 52, and around 2.37 million are expected for week 1 of 2024. The exchange rate was 1 USD=89.69 RUB.

Costa Rica's banana industry sees 2024 with "uncertainty" due to logistical and climatic problems, as well as the position of European supermarkets to request discounts of up to 8% in the price of the fruit. "For 2024 there is strong uncertainty in terms of logistical aspects due to the situation of the Panama Canal that could affect everyone, both users and non-users.

The Government of Panama has extended until next May the state of environmental emergency decreed seven months ago in case of a prolonged drought, which is especially strong this year and affected the neuralgic interoceanic canal. It is an extension that the Executive approved on December 27 to extend until May 31, 2024. The environmental emergency decreed on May 30 expired on December 31.

The National Committee for the Regional Study of the El Niño Phenomenon (Erfen) has confirmed that the El Niño phenomenon is strengthening in Ecuador, and the Secretariat of Risk Management (SGR) maintains the Orange alert. In the middle of the maturity phase, El Niño has left its mark, manifesting itself with anomalies of high temperatures on the Coast during much of the second half of 2023, José González, Coordinator of INAMHI Guayaquil, told the media.

The president of the Association of National Banana Producers (Aprobana), Héctor Castro, lamented that the cultivated areas decreased by 60% due to the effects of recent years due to the onslaught of tropical storms and other problems the sector faces. Banana exports are the country's second-largest foreign exchange source, surpassed only by coffee.

According to a report by an Italian newspaper, pesticides were found in bananas sold in some supermarkets. Pesticide residues were also found in the fruit pulp and not just on the peels. According to the report, only 3 out of 20 brands were saved, with Lidl, Carrefour, and Esselunga at the bottom of the ranking.

In January-November, Uzbekistan imported approximately 120,000 tons of bananas valued at $85.2 million, according to preliminary data from the Statistics Agency. The primary sources of banana imports during this period were:

Kapi Growers, a leading grower-shipper of premium Costa Rican pineapples and bananas, announces Sofia Acon, who has served as a director since 2020, has been appointed president. Acon was instrumental in bringing Kapi Kapi Growers to the U.S. market four years ago, co-founding the company, shaping its vision and strategic plan, leading the development of the brand and building an extraordinary team.

Mediterranean Shipping Co.'s (MSC) first-ever service to Davao began on December 20 with a call to Davao International Container Terminal (DICT) in Panabo, Davao del Norte. The MSC Ancona III HZ348R commenced its maiden voyage to DICT as part of MSC's extended Lang Co service.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, led by Narvay Quintero, has made the payment of 69.3 million euros corresponding to the first payment of aid to banana producers with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), established in Measure II of the Community Support Programme for Agricultural Production in the Canary Islands (POSEI) for the 2023 campaign, according to a press release.

A new banana variety, the Kaveri Kalki, has been obtained from the Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT in India. The unique banana variety of ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli, is not prone to lodging. The license for mass multiplication of the variety was transferred to M/s. Shankar Bio-tech, Krishnagiri, for faster adoption by the farmers.

The South Pacific Terminal (TPS) bid farewell to Cool Carriers' first reefer vessel with pallets of fruit bound for the West Coast of the United States, which takes place within the framework of the 2023-2024 fruit season. This was achieved with the departure of the Ivar Reefer vessel of the exact shipping company after loading a little more than 1,900 pallets at Site 5 of the concessionaire of the Port of Valparaíso.

A great man and a worthy son of the province of El Oro, this is how María Eugenia Navarrete, executive president of Banco de Machala, described Esteban Quirola Figueroa, who was honoured in recent days with the unveiling of his bust at the headquarters of the financial institution he created 61 years ago, located on nine de Mayo and Rocafuerte streets, in the centre of the capital of Ourense.

Latin American banana growers expressed concern that European supermarkets are asking for a reduction of 1.30 euros (US$1.43) on the price of a box of bananas. Currently, producing a box of bananas on a Colombian farm costs around US$7.8, equivalent to about 7.10 euros, so the impact of the alleged European reduction would be 0.52 euros per box for Colombian growers.

Banana selling prices in Russia didn't improve compared to the past week, and prices were USD 20.30-22.45 per box CIF according to brand, quality, volume, and type of packing. Nearly 573,000 boxes were discharged in week 51, and around 1.5 million are expected for week 52.