French banana market: try a little bit harder
France
Monday 09 June 2008
The French are not great banana-eaters. The 2007 figures provided by the customs confirm the comparatively low per capita consumption of 8.1 kg per year. It has fallen by slightly less than 1 kg since the record set in 2002. But was 2007 the year of the reconquest of the market? The fall has been stopped and the curve has reversed, with a 200-g increase. Consumption has approached 500 000 tons, not counting trans-frontier movements of ripened banana. The other feature of 2007 was the inflow of banana from third countries. As experienced in 2005, more than 120 000 tons of dollar bananas were sold in 2007. This is 30% more than in 2006. Unsurprisingly, dollar and ACP (Africa and Surinam) banana supplies peaked in the months following the hurricane, profiting well from the partial absence of Guadeloupe and the total absence of Martinique. In the last quarter, banana imports from third countries (ACP and dollar) via other member countries averaged 27 000 tons per month in comparison with 21 000 tons in 2006 and 18 000 tons in 2005. Analysis of a market by origin is difficult in a single market system in which goods come and go without strict control between states. So, with all the usual reserves, it would seem that, excluding re-exports, the market share of French West Indian bananas fell to 26% in 2007 against 38% in 2006. ACP suppliers set a new record at 49% and the share of third countries other than ACP states increased to 24%. Reexports marked time in 2007 at slightly over 150 000 tons. Two-thirds of this was shipped to Spain (30 000 tons), the Czech Republic (24 000 tons), Italy (24 000 tons)and the United Kingdom (19 000 tons).