"The El Niño phenomenon will make its biggest incursion in mid-December, according to experts from the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (INAMHI)," said Mario Benavides Rojas, zone 7 coordinator of the National Risk Management Service. After learning that after a month of oceanographic and meteorological exploration in the Ecuadorian sea to verify the proximity of the El Niño phenomenon, the scientific research vessel Orion of the Ecuadorian Navy returned from the campaign.

Around 260,000 hectares between Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru will be under active surveillance in a plan against Fusarium Tropical Race 4. In addition, 8,000 producers and agricultural workers will be trained in managing the disease on banana farms, and all members of the cooperation network in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru will sign an agreement to fight the pest.

Dole has reported higher revenues and adjusted EBITDA for the three months leading up to the end of September. The company said its third-quarter revenues rose 4.2% to $2 billion. In comparison, its adjusted EBITDA increased by 7.6% to $85.2m, and revenue at its Fresh Fruit division decreased by 0.3% due to lower banana prices in North America. This dip was partially offset by higher worldwide volumes of bananas sold, increased worldwide pineapple pricing, and more substantial European banana pricing.

The Intersectoral Roundtable on Banana Competitiveness (Menicob) and the Paraguayan Chamber of Bananas and Pineapples (Capabap) decided to suspend the loading of fruits to Argentina as of November 13. On the one hand, the US$ 10 million debt held by Argentine importers is concentrated in three regions of Paraguay. These are Caaguazú, San Pedro, and Cordillera, and the US$12 million owed to Bolivia is for fruit from the Cochabamba region.

Plátano de Canarias is breaking historical production records throughout 2023 and selling more than the levels before the eruption of the La Palma volcano, which the entire sector welcomes, according to Sergio Cáceres, manager and marketing director of Asprocan.

The European Commission has published a delegated regulation and an implementing regulation supplementing the marketing standards for the horticultural sector and also adapting rules for the "Farm to Fork" strategy. On November 4, the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) published these two regulations with measures that, in practice, further elaborate on the 2013 regulation that created the common organization of the markets in agricultural products.

The Main Banana Ports of Ecuador

On November 6, Ecuador raised the minimum price per box that exporters pay producers from USD 6.50 to USD 6.85, only for the fruit. The new price will be applied starting January 1, 2024, as announced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NOAA's National Weather Service of the USA, above-average sea surface temperatures (SST) across the equatorial Pacific Ocean were indicative of a strong El Niño, with anomalies increasing in the central and east-central Pacific in the past month. The latest weekly Niño index values were +1.4ºC in Niño-4, +1.8ºC in Niño-3.4, +2.1ºC in Niño-3, and +2.2ºC in Niño-1+2.

Banana workers from more than 21 farms in the province of Bocas del Toro decided in a General Assembly to join the strike against the concession granted to Minera Panama. This decision has the country convulsed. The strike approved by the Union of Workers of the Banana Industry, Agriculture and Related Companies (Sitraibana) is for 48 hours, extendable, throughout the banana division of the province of Bocas del Toro.

Banana growers from Bolivia and Paraguay who export their fruit to Argentina demand payment from that country for the fruit and have protested in front of the Argentine embassies in Bolivia and Paraguay. During the mobilizations, they asked the authorities in those countries to demand that Argentina pay for the bananas they sold to them since they lived in a "distressing" situation.

On November 10, the Banana Export Marketing Association (ACORBANEC) celebrated seven years since its foundation. Currently, ACORBANEC is made up of 61 members, which represents 43% of the total banana exports in the country.

The Philippines has secured $603 million worth of purchasing agreements at the China International Import Expo (CIIE), with fresh fruits, such as bananas and durian, occupying the more significant chunk of the exports pie, according to the Philippines's Agriculture Attaché in Beijing. During the first two days of the trade fair in China, Anna Abejuela, Agriculture Counselor at the Embassy of the Philippines in Beijing

The Union of Pilots of the Panama Canal views with extreme concern the current situation of the low water levels of the Gatun and Alajuela lakes as a result of the climatological changes that the hydrographic basin is suffering and that not only affect the operations of the waterway, but also the supply of drinking water to approximately 50% of the population of the provinces of Panama, West Panama, and Colón.

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. announced a strategic partnership with Arena Packaging, a leading packaging, design, and pooling company in North America, to introduce Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) for bananas. The groundbreaking invention aims to transform industry standards for the leading fruit in fresh produce while significantly reducing food waste, carbon emissions, operational costs and preserving the fruit's health. With the introduction of RPCs, banana shipments now enjoy improved airflow and extended shelf life.