Latin American farmers demand fair prices for bananas

Farmers from Latin America are pushing for an increase in banana prices. The cause was weather anomalies caused by climate change and El Niño. They lead to lower yields and higher costs.

As a result, the incomes of both farmers and plantation workers are at risk. According to The Guardian, citing the Fairtrade Foundation, strong winds in Colombia and heavy rains in Peru and Ecuador are already hampering the cultivation of bananas. The Dominican Republic is facing drought.

Fairtrade research found that during the last El Niño period, labor productivity fell by 13% in the Dominican Republic, 22% in Ecuador and 6% in Peru compared to the previous year. The problems have already affected trade. The Magdalena and La Guajira Banana Producers Association, through industry publication Fruitnet, reported that banana exports from Colombia’s Caribbean region fell 32 percent to $122 million between July and September. In September alone, shipments fell by 42% compared to last year, and export revenue fell from $70 million to $40 million.

Farmers warn that without rising purchase prices, they will not have the means to invest in protecting plantations from weather, pests and diseases. In addition, extreme heat and other adverse conditions worsen work and threaten the health of workers. Fairtrade calls on the UK authorities to pass a law that will protect manufacturers from the unfair actions of large buyers. We are talking about the understatement of prices, payment delays and such terms of contracts, when financial risks are transferred to producers. Some UK chains, including Sainsbury's, Co-op and Waitrose, already buy bananas under Fairtrade standards with a guaranteed minimum price.

Kiva Buckley, director of corporate relations at Fyffes, said that the long-term development of the banana industry depends on the terms of purchase. According to her, the price of bananas in supermarkets should cover the real costs of production, including wages and decent wages, environmental protection, human rights testing and investments to adapt to climate change. At the same time, retail prices for bananas in stores have hardly changed for 40 years, although fuel, fertilizer and wages are constantly increasing in price. According to the Ethical Trading Initiative, in 2026 purchasing prices did not cover even the basic production costs of 66.7% of suppliers.

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