With the Canary Islands on track to produce their biggest banana crop in history, work is now underway to find European cities as alternative markets to mainland Spain.

By the end of week 33, 282,000 metric tons (MT) of fruit had been harvested - 8,000MT more than the previous record year of 2010.

The Association of Banana Producers of the Canaries (Asprocan) now projects the industry to hit the 440,000MT mark by the end of the year.

However, 8,500MT of the fruit has already been withdrawn from the market this year due to the archipelago reaching its quota and activating European crisis management measures.

"This is the first time in history that we have achieved such a high figure, both for production and for sales," Asprocan president Henry Sicilia told www.freshfruitportal.com.

"The record production has been the result of good meteorological conditions - we've had really good weather and nice temperatures - as well as the good work of the growers."

He said while just a small proportion of fruit was taken off the market - donated to food banks or used on farms as animal feed - it was important to diversify markets.

"The last three years have been very complicated. Fruit consumption in Spain in general has dropped by 10%," he said.

"We are now hiring a professional to search for other European export markets for us, where just a small percentage of production would be sent in the future."

He did not yet know which markets these might be, but said the search was focused more on individual cities rather than entire countries.

"We don’t produce large volumes like the typical banana varieties, we are a differentiated product. We would like big cities with good logistics for the distribution, and so be able to continue shipping our normal volumes to Spain," he said.

Bananas produced in the Canary Islands have been granted a Protected Geographical Indication (GCI) certification and are sold under the Plátano de Canarias brand.

"It’s a different variety. We are in a semi-tropical zone, not a tropical one like the Latin American countries, and we have a variety that is smaller than the traditional banana," he said.

"The fruit has more time to form, it has more time on the plant, and that produces a sweeter fruit. So despite being a banana, it is different."

Sicilia also said the industry invested heavily each year in promotion and communications in a bid to build consumer loyalty.

www.freshfruitportal.com