Banana exports could end the year with a growth of 45%

If the health crisis had negative effects on certain sectors of the economy in Paraguay, it is quite different for the banana sector which recorded an increase in value of its exports of + 22% and could end the year with + 45%.

 

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in a VUE (Ventanilla Única de Exportación) report, until October 2020, exports grew by 22% reaching $ 14.295 million with 54,549 tonnes, while at at the end of 2019, they reached $ 11.717 million with 66,789 tonnes.

 

 

Hugo Franco, the representative of Menicob (Mesa Nacional Intersectorial de Competitividad Bananera) said that the growth is due to the improvement of the quality of the local product and the decrease in production in some regions of Brazil which has benefited the production from Paraguay.

 

 

In terms of destinations, Argentina remains the main market and Uruguay is an occasional buyer. As a test, 2 loads were sent to Chile.

 

 

The representative of Menicob underlined the importance of the implementation of good agricultural practices in the sector in order to conquer new markets, such as the European market, in the years to come. He also admitted that there is still a lot to do to improve.

 

 

According to Senave (Servicio Nacional de Calidad y Sanidad Vegetal y de Semillas) banana exports could end the year with an income of $ 17 million, an increase of 45% compared to the previous year