{"id":134808,"date":"2024-10-24T13:26:10","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T11:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/?p=134808"},"modified":"2024-10-24T13:50:59","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T11:50:59","slug":"the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/","title":{"rendered":"The largest banana convention kicks off with Ecuador’s call for unity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guayaquil, Ecuador, Oct. 24 (EFE).- The 21st edition of “Banana Time<\/strong>,” the largest international convention for the banana industry<\/strong>, opened with a call for unity from Ecuador<\/strong>, the world\u2019s leading exporter of the fruit, to tackle global challenges such as low supermarket prices in Europe<\/strong>, phytosanitary threats<\/strong>, and the security of the logistics chain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“Banana Time<\/strong>,” held annually in Guayaquil<\/strong> by the Ecuadorian Association of Banana Exporters (AEBE)<\/strong>,<\/a> which represents more than 70% of Ecuador’s total banana export volume, runs from October 23 to 25<\/strong>, featuring keynote speeches<\/strong>, trade exhibitions<\/strong>, and a culinary contest<\/strong> showcasing dishes with bananas as the key ingredient.<\/p>\n

During the convention’s opening late Tuesday, AEBE President Jorge Encalada<\/strong> emphasized the need for unity, saying, \u201cthe key to overcoming these challenges lies in the unity<\/strong> and joint efforts<\/strong> of all actors in the production chain.”<\/p>\n

“The future of bananas depends on our ability to remain united,” Encalada stressed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Photo
Photo provided by the Ecuadorian Association of Banana Exporters (AEBE) showing its board president, Jorge Encalada, speaking during the inauguration of the “Banana Time” convention in Guayaquil (Ecuador). EFE\/AEBE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Challenges Facing Ecuador’s Banana Sector<\/h3>\n

At the national level, Ecuador’s banana sector<\/strong> is facing difficulties due to the country\u2019s energy crisis<\/strong>, leading to power outages<\/strong> of up to ten hours a day, and a security crisis<\/strong> fueled by the rise of organized crime gangs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Added to these are international challenges<\/strong> such as geopolitical instability<\/strong> and diseases affecting banana plants, like Fusarium TR4<\/strong> and bacterial Moko<\/strong>. There are also new sustainability regulations<\/strong> from the European Union (EU)<\/strong>, Ecuador\u2019s main banana export market, requiring producers and exporters to invest in compliance.<\/p>\n

Encalada stressed that these regulations must be applied consistently.<\/p>\n

Fair Compensation and Sustainability<\/h3>\n

“We will not allow our producers to be treated unfairly. Supermarkets<\/strong>, as key players in the chain, must commit to not using bananas as a loss leader, sending the wrong message to consumers and undervaluing the efforts demanded of us,” he said, referring to recent cases in European supermarkets.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Encalada stressed the need for the new market requirements<\/strong> imposed on producer countries to be compensated with the true cost of sustainability<\/strong>. “We can’t have a green pact with red numbers<\/strong>,” he noted.<\/p>\n

He also highlighted the unity achieved in Latin America through the Latin American Joint Task Force<\/strong>, which, since 2020, has brought together export associations from Ecuador<\/strong>, Guatemala<\/strong>, the Dominican Republic<\/strong>, Costa Rica<\/strong>, Peru<\/strong>, Panama<\/strong>, and Colombia<\/strong> to confront challenges with buyer countries. Meanwhile, Ecuador, Colombia, and Costa Rica are also collaborating on solutions to combat Fusarium<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Promoting Sustainable Growth and Solutions<\/h3>\n

“Together, we can develop solutions that mitigate crises and promote sustainable growth<\/strong>. I believe that formality<\/strong> in the sector is essential to face the challenges of our main markets,” Encalada said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThis event reflects our sector’s persistence in maintaining jobs<\/strong> and foreign exchange<\/strong> for our country by producing and exporting sustainable bananas<\/strong> and paying fair wages<\/strong>, despite local and international challenges,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Photo provided by the Ecuadorian Association of Banana Exporters (AEBE) showing Ecuador\u2019s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Danilo Palacios, during the inauguration of the “Banana Time” convention in Guayaquil (Ecuador). EFE\/AEBE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ecuador\u2019s Banana Industry and Global Presence<\/h3>\n

Also attending the inauguration was Ecuador’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock<\/strong>, Danilo Palacios<\/strong>, who reaffirmed the government\u2019s commitment to achieving full formality<\/strong> in the banana sector<\/strong>, as “bananas are the country’s flagship product,” reaching dozens of countries worldwide.<\/p>\n

Palacios highlighted Ecuador’s significant presence at the recent international fair “Fruit Attraction,”<\/strong> held in Madrid<\/strong>, where Ecuadorian bananas were among the top products on display, and the country won the award for best exhibition stand<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Key Figures Attending the Inaugural Event<\/h3>\n

The inaugural event was also attended by Ecuador’s Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments, and Fisheries<\/strong>, Luis Alberto Jaramillo<\/strong>; the EU Ambassador to Ecuador<\/strong>, Jekaterina Dorodnova<\/strong>; the French Ambassador to Ecuador<\/strong>, Philippe L\u00e9trilliart<\/strong>; the prefect of the Ecuadorian province of Guayas<\/strong>, Marcela Agui\u00f1aga<\/strong>; and the prefect of Los R\u00edos<\/strong>, Johnny Ter\u00e1n<\/strong>, along with other local authorities.<\/p>\n

Economic Importance of Ecuador\u2019s Banana Industry<\/h3>\n

The banana industry<\/strong> is one of the driving forces of Ecuador’s economy<\/strong>, contributing more than $3.5 billion annually<\/strong> to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP)<\/strong> and generating 250,000 direct jobs<\/strong>. In 2023, Ecuador’s banana exports were primarily directed to the EU (28.42%)<\/strong>, Russia (21.12%)<\/strong>, the Middle East (16.65%)<\/strong>, and the United States (9.08%)<\/strong>. EFE<\/p>\n

EFE collaborated with AEBE in the production of this content.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guayaquil, Ecuador, Oct. 24 (EFE).- The 21st edition of “Banana Time,” the largest international convention for the banana industry, opened with a call for unity from Ecuador, the world\u2019s leading […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198164071,"featured_media":134809,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[123771],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe largest banana convention kicks off with Ecuador's call for unity - EFE Comunica<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Guayaquil, Ecuador, Oct. 24 (EFE).- The 21st edition of "Banana Time," the largest international convention for the banana industry, opened with a call\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The largest banana convention kicks off with Ecuador's call for unity - EFE Comunica","description":"Guayaquil, Ecuador, Oct. 24 (EFE).- The 21st edition of \"Banana Time,\" the largest international convention for the banana industry, opened with a call","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/"},"author":{"name":"EFE","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/38c335f1ce4cd42430576ef5499343b8"},"headline":"The largest banana convention kicks off with Ecuador’s call for unity","datePublished":"2024-10-24T11:26:10+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-24T11:50:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/"},"wordCount":770,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/rss-efe153570261ba6fc3287cff3d30a5a0cad6b115490w.jpg","articleSection":["Economy"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/","url":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/","name":"The largest banana convention kicks off with Ecuador's call for unity - EFE Comunica","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/rss-efe153570261ba6fc3287cff3d30a5a0cad6b115490w.jpg","datePublished":"2024-10-24T11:26:10+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-24T11:50:59+00:00","description":"Guayaquil, Ecuador, Oct. 24 (EFE).- The 21st edition of \"Banana Time,\" the largest international convention for the banana industry, opened with a call","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/rss-efe153570261ba6fc3287cff3d30a5a0cad6b115490w.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/rss-efe153570261ba6fc3287cff3d30a5a0cad6b115490w.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280,"caption":"Photo provided by the Ecuadorian Association of Banana Exporters (AEBE) showing its board president, Jorge Encalada (center); Ecuador\u2019s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Danilo Palacios (fifth from left); Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments, and Fisheries, Luis Alberto Jaramillo (second from right); Prefect of Guayas Province, Marcela Agui\u00f1aga (fifth from right); Prefect of Los R\u00edos Province, Johnny Ter\u00e1n (fourth from left); and the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Ecuador, Jekaterina Dor\u00f3dnova (far right), among others, posing at the inauguration of the \"Banana Time\" convention in Guayaquil (Ecuador). EFE\/AEBE"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/the-largest-banana-convention-kicks-off-with-ecuadors-call-for-unity\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Portada","item":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The largest banana convention kicks off with Ecuador’s call for unity"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/","name":"EFE Comunica","description":"Contenidos para empresas","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#organization","name":"EFE Comunica","url":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Logo-EFE-Comunica_png.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Logo-EFE-Comunica_png.png","width":1080,"height":486,"caption":"EFE Comunica"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EFEComunicaAgenciaEFE","https:\/\/x.com\/EFEcomunica","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/showcase\/efecomunica"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/38c335f1ce4cd42430576ef5499343b8","name":"EFE","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5fcf26bedbd04dc20896c519164a13fe69c6913f5830d7db51543fa04eb30b4?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5fcf26bedbd04dc20896c519164a13fe69c6913f5830d7db51543fa04eb30b4?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5fcf26bedbd04dc20896c519164a13fe69c6913f5830d7db51543fa04eb30b4?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"EFE"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/efe.com"],"url":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/author\/efedesarrollo\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/rss-efe153570261ba6fc3287cff3d30a5a0cad6b115490w.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcEg1r-z4k","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198164071"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134808"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134823,"href":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134808\/revisions\/134823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efecomunica.efe.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}