Ecuador presses Europe to back sustainable, drug-free bananas

Madrid, Oct 3 (EFE).- Ecuador, the world’s top banana exporter, has called on European markets to take responsibility for eradicating drug trafficking linked to shipments from its ports and to ensure prices reflect the efforts of producing countries to improve the safety and social and environmental sustainability of their bananas.

At the Fruit Attraction international trade fair, which concluded Thursday in Madrid, the Association of Ecuadorian Banana Exporters (AEBE) outlined efforts by producers to deliver a quality product that meets European Union (EU) standards.

“Sixty-six percent of Ecuador’s export cargo is bananas, and 30% goes to the EU,” said José Antonio Hidalgo, AEBE’s executive director and coordinator of Ecuador’s Banana and Plantain Cluster. He spoke at a panel titled “Preserving commercial integrity: Strengthening security and traceability in banana export chains,” organized by the FAO’s World Banana Forum.

Hidalgo stressed the need for “recognition that this challenge (drug trafficking) is not of a single country or sector, but a transnational problem we must address together. Only through international cooperation and transparency in our value chains can we strengthen the sustainability of bananas.”

He said the goal is to bring every actor in the supply chain—retailers, shippers and others—into this shared security effort.

$100 million a year for security

According to Hidalgo, Ecuador’s banana sector spends about $100 million annually on security measures to counter drug trafficking, including a “Safe Farms” protocol.

Since last year, he noted, all containers at Ecuadorian ports have been scanned before shipment, while a secure cargo initiative with the EU is also being implemented.

“We’ve already seen results,” Hidalgo said, pointing out that the volume of drugs seized in Antwerp, Belgium, from Ecuadorian shipments fell from 121 tons in 2023 to 44 tons in 2024. In Rotterdam, the figure dropped from 12 tons to 8 tons over the same period.

He also emphasized the importance of expanding technical cooperation with Spanish ports, which handle Ecuadorian bananas either as a destination or in transit.

Fair prices for fair wages

Hidalgo underscored the sector’s effort to deliver bananas to Europe that are “high-quality, socially and environmentally responsible, and now, above all, safe.” That commitment, he argued, should be reflected in consumer prices.

“There are fair stories behind every one of our products. In the case of bananas, a fair price must be recognized to stop it from being the cheapest fruit on the shelf and used as a simple loss leader,” he said.

He highlighted Ecuador’s banana sector’s commitment to ensuring dignified wages, drafting the industry’s first occupational health manual with trade unions, and maintaining a partnership with the government to prevent child labor.

From Fruit Attraction to Banana Time 2025

At Fruit Attraction, Ecuador hosted a pavilion inaugurated by Agriculture Minister Danilo Palacios and Spain’s ambassador to Ecuador, Wilma Andrade.

Banana supply chain security and sustainability will also be key themes at Banana Time 2025, Latin America’s largest banana industry convention, organized by AEBE and set for Oct. 14–17 in Guayaquil.

The event will address global market dynamics, regulatory changes and consumer trends, as well as challenges and opportunities in organic certification, adapting to social and environmental sustainability standards, and measuring water and carbon footprints as tools for continuous improvement. EFE

PBD-fgg/cll/jrh

(foto) (video)

EFE prepared this content with the support of the Association of Ecuadorian Banana Exporters.

Handout photo from the Ecuadorian Banana Exporters Association showing members of the Ecuadorian delegation at the Fruit Attraction international fruit fair inaugurating their pavilion, led by the banana exporters’ guild, with the presence of Ecuador’s ambassador to Spain, Wilma Andrade (5th left); Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Danilo Palacios (5th right); AEBE president Jorge Encalada (4th right); and AEBE vice president Marianela Ubilla (3rd right), posing Tuesday in Madrid, Spain. EFE/Ecuadorian Banana Exporters Association

Handout photo from the Ecuadorian Banana Exporters Association showing members of the Ecuadorian delegation at the Fruit Attraction international fruit fair inaugurating their pavilion, led by the banana exporters’ guild, with the presence of AEBE executive director and coordinator of Ecuador’s Banana and Plantain Cluster, José Antonio Hidalgo (7th left); AEBE vice president Marianela Ubilla (center); Ecuador’s ambassador to Spain, Wilma Andrade (7th right); Ecuador’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Danilo Palacios (6th right); and AEBE president Jorge Encalada (5th right), posing Tuesday in Madrid, Spain. EFE/Ecuadorian Banana Exporters Association