Ecuador’s banana producers are pressing the government to negotiate for smaller tariffs to enter the European Union, according to local news website hoy.com.ec.

According to Eduardo Ledesma of Ecuador’s banana exporters association, countries including Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru have lower costs of entry into the European market, with tariffs set to drop to 75 euros (US $98). But Ecuadorian bananas have a tariff that will drop to 114 euros (US $149).

That difference gives the other countries an advantage over Ecuador, Ledesma said, according to the website.  Ecuador’s fixed price of $5.40 per carton of banana also helps make Ecudaorian bananas the most expensive in Europe, he added.

“Exporters are in a predicament because bananas from Colombia and Costa Rica turn out to be more convenient for the European buyer,” he is quoted as saying.

The group expects to continue to ship 10 million cartons yearly to the Mediterranean countries and Russia.

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com