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 Banana Link is a small and dynamic not-for-profit co-operative, founded
in 1996 that campaigns for a fair and sustainable banana trade. We work
in close partnership with Latin American banana workers trade unions,
small Caribbean farmers and civil society organizations in Europe and
the U.S.
Welcome to our website which gives information on the many social and
environmental issues that affect the international banana trade.
Please email us if you need further information, to order resources or to send feedback on our site. Visit our Union to Union section to learn more about solidarity between Latin American and British trade unions along the international banana supply chain.
Gloria Agor, banana worker at Volta Rivers Estates Ltd, Ghana
Latest News
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Peace at last... now the real work can start |
29 July 2008
Just in the nick of time, it seems, all the warring parties have now - with the exception of a minority of European governments led by Spain - accepted the banana agreement brokered at world trade talks in Geneva over the last fortnight. The WTO General Council, which meets tomorrow in Geneva, should enshrine an agreement to reduce EU banana import tariffs for so-called 'third country' (non African, non-Caribbean) fruit by 35% over the next seven years. The "Geneva Agreement on Trade in Bananas ", dated 27 July 2008, represents a historic breakthrough for this controversial commodity sector, after more than 15 years of challenges to the European Communities import policy in the GATT and the WTO. The signatories to the Geneva Agreement, which includes a clause settling all existing disputes in the WTO, are the European Communities, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
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Banana dispute settlement in sight |
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23 July 2008, Luisa Cheshire www.fruitnet.com
A possible end to the long-running banana war could be imminent following a significant concessionary proposal put forward by six Latin American countries. A two-pronged counter proposal tabled by six Latin American countries on Monday could signal the end to the long-running dispute with ACP nations over banana imports into the European Union (EU). In a concessionary move to the ACP, the so-called 'Tropical Products Group' of WTO member governments – comprising Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Bolivia and Nicaragua – has offered to leave bananas out of a list of products (tariff lines) for which they are pushing duty-free access to the EU.
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22 July 2008, www.reefertrends.com /Spanish press
A group of Latin American exporters has offered to drop tariff demands on a range of other tropical fruits in exchange for a marginal adjustment to the WTO proposal. Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Bolivia will reportedly accept a tariff that is only marginally different from the offer tabled by the WTO. According to reports in the Spanish Press the group has tabled a counter offer to the WTO’s Director General. On offer last week was an immediate drop in the import tariff from €176 per MT to €150 per MT and then a staged fall to a landing zone figure of €116 per MT on 1 January 2015.
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Bulletin |
Banana Trade News Bulletin
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The new issue of Banana Trade News Bulletin provides a comprehensive guide to the latest developments in the international banana trade.
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Current Campaign |
Decent Work, Decent Life
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The Decent Work, Decent Life campaign aims to build an international system of employment policy, based on solidarity and respect for people’s rights. Click on the image to read more on the Decent Work, Decent Life website.
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