According to the FAO / OECD Agricultural Outlook 2021-2030 report, the first estimates are that the world's banana exports, excluding plantain (pink banana or male banana), reached a new record in 2020 rising to 22.2 million tons, i.e. 1.7% more than in the previous year.
Exports were mainly boosted by Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Colombia, three of the top five world exporters. All three countries reportedly implemented disease mitigation strategies on their plantations in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and thus were able to minimize disruptions in their ability to supply bananas to world markets.
According to the current baseline projections, if weather conditions are normal and banana plant diseases don't spread, global banana production is expected to increase by 1.4% a year and reach 138 million tons by 2030.
Banana exports
FAO and OECD expect that the increase in import demand will also benefit some Caribbean exporters, notably the Dominican Republic and Belize, as well as exports from Africa, which are forecast to grow by 1 % a year and be led by Côte d'Ivoire until they reach approximately 750,000 tons in 2030.
Meanwhile, exports from the Philippines, the world's second-largest exporter, were hit by serious difficulties stemming from the impact of the pandemic on the country's banana production, which appears to have had a particularly detrimental effect on small producers.
According to preliminary data, Philippine banana exports contracted by 14% in 2020.
External purchases
Demand in the European Union reportedly remained strong but contracted in the United States, which led to a 0.1% contraction in US banana imports, the second-largest importer behind the European Union.
Imports from China, the world's third-largest banana importer, contracted by nearly 10% due to supply disruptions in the Philippines.
