Banana harvest drops in Canary islands, prices spike nearly 140%

In the last week of May, the price of Canarian bananas rose sharply to €1.65 per kilo, which is 3.8% more than the previous week and nearly 140% higher than the five-year average, according to Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA).

This price jump is mainly due to poor weather conditions over the past few months. Strong winds and storms since late last year have damaged crops and reduced the banana harvest. With fewer bananas available, prices have gone up.

José Carlos Rendón, head of the Canarian banana growers’ association (Asprocan), expects the situation to improve with better weather, and believes production should stabilise by late summer, which could help lower prices.

Still, there are concerns that high prices may push some consumers to choose imported bananas over local ones. Rendón noted that even with rising prices, producers aren’t making more money because they’re selling fewer bananas.

So far this season, banana production in the Canary Islands has reached 417,596 tons — slightly below last year, but above the five-year average. However, exports have dropped by 26.8% due to limited supply, making up just 23% of total production.

At the same time, imports are rising. Costa Rica now supplies 57% of Spain’s banana imports, and overall banana imports in early 2025 grew 29% compared to the average of the last five years.

Despite the challenges, Asprocan continues to promote the local product, pointing to its higher quality, better food safety, and lower carbon footprint compared to imported bananas.

source: efeagro.com

photo: tasteatlas.com