Banana monthly review: December 2022

Unsurprisingly, the market tension at the end of 2022 remained high. The overall supply was well below average. Volumes from the dollar origins maintained particularly low levels, especially from Ecuador because of the fall in productivity. In addition, Colombia and Costa Rica embarked on their seasonal falls. Meanwhile, the African peak continued at the beginning of the month, with near-average levels, though the combined supply from Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Ghana was unable to offset the fruit shortage. Finally, shipments from the French West Indies continued to wane gradually, to similar levels to 2021, though slightly below the two-year average. Regarding demand, contract sales with the supermarket sector remained fluid, and procurement was particularly tough in this context of shortages. Availability on the spot market was highly restricted, and yellow banana rates peaked at €15.74/box (36% above average).