Banana producers across Latin America are seeking better prices and fairer trading arrangements to cope with mounting challenges posed by climate change, as extreme weather conditions linked to the El Niño phenomenon threaten production, exports and the livelihoods of thousands of agricultural workers.
Farmers in major banana-producing countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the Dominican Republic, are already witnessing the impact of changing weather patterns, with strong winds, excessive rainfall and prolonged drought affecting plantations. The situation is expected to worsen as the region experiences an intense El Niño event, raising concerns over declining productivity and rising production costs.
According to the Fairtrade Foundation, an ethical trade organisation, banana cultivation in several parts of Latin America is facing increasing uncertainty. While some regions of Colombia are experiencing strong winds, drought conditions are anticipated in certain areas. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall in Peru and Ecuador has disrupted agricultural activities. Farmers in the Dominican Republic are also preparing for drier and warmer-than-usual weather conditions.
The scale of the potential damage is evident from the experience of previous El Niño cycles. Fairtrade research indicates that productivity among its farmers and workers declined by 13 per cent in the Dominican Republic, 22 per cent in Ecuador and six per cent in Peru during the previous cycle, compared with the preceding year.
The 1983 El Niño event, considered among the strongest on record, affected around 15 per cent of Ecuador’s total banana cultivation area and resulted in a 36 per cent fall in exports. Experts fear that the current climate conditions could have even more severe consequences for producers.
Dr Carley-Jane Stanton, climate and environment lead at Fairtrade, said the ongoing El Niño event was expected to bring more extreme weather, including heavy rainfall and strong winds. The organisation anticipates that the impact on farmers could be considerably greater than during the 2023-24 cycle.
The effects are already visible in Colombia’s banana export figures. According to the Association of Banana Growers of Magdalena and La Guajira, exports from the country’s Caribbean region declined by 32 per cent to $122 million between July and September this year. In September alone, shipments fell by 42 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year, while export earnings nearly halved from $70 million to $40 million.
The growers’ association has urged international buyers and markets to introduce commercial arrangements that adequately reflect the actual cost of production and ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry. It warned that climate-related losses, declining export revenues and currency-related difficulties were placing the economic viability of banana cultivation at risk.
Farm workers are also concerned about the consequences of changing weather conditions. Ever Antonio Flores Muños, an employee at Colombia’s Agrosiete banana producer, said temperatures had risen considerably over the past decade, making working conditions increasingly difficult. He pointed to losses caused by floods and strong winds, warning that the situation could threaten plantations, workers’ incomes and employment security.
Fairtrade has called for stronger legislation in the United Kingdom to address unfair trading practices in the banana supply chain. These include delayed or inadequate payments to farmers and contractual arrangements that transfer a disproportionate share of financial and production risks to growers.
The organisation believes that farmers need more financial resources to invest in climate-resilient farming practices, improve crop protection and tackle the growing threat of pests and diseases. Rising temperatures and extreme weather are also expected to affect the health and working conditions of agricultural labourers.
Although some major British retailers, including Sainsbury’s, the Co-op and Waitrose, have taken voluntary steps to source Fairtrade-certified bananas, which guarantee growers a minimum price, the organisation maintains that broader reforms are necessary.
Fairtrade chief executive Eleanor Harrison said the sustainability of banana supplies in the UK was closely linked to the financial security of the people cultivating the fruit. She stressed that fair prices, decent working conditions and investments in climate adaptation needed to go hand in hand.
The issue has also drawn attention to the widening gap between supermarket prices and the actual cost of producing bananas. Despite increasing expenses on fertilisers, fuel and labour, retail prices of bananas have remained largely unchanged for nearly four decades. Industry representatives argue that prices must reflect the growing expenditure involved in sustainable cultivation, workers’ wages, environmental protection and adapting plantations to climate change.
Caoimhe Buckley, chief corporate affairs officer at banana supplier Fyffes, said the future of the industry depended significantly on purchasing practices. She emphasised that supermarket prices should account for the real cost of sustainable production, including decent wages, human rights safeguards and investments required to withstand changing climatic conditions.
The financial difficulties faced by growers are further highlighted by research conducted by the Ethical Trading Initiative, which found that the prices paid to suppliers in 2026 were insufficient to cover even basic production costs for 66.7 per cent of them.
The long-term outlook is equally concerning. Research commissioned by the Inter-American Development Bank and published in 2020 estimated that suitable land for banana cultivation across Latin America and the Caribbean could shrink by an average of 61 per cent by 2050 because of climate change.
Farmers and industry representatives are therefore pressing international buyers, retailers and policymakers to ensure fairer prices and more sustainable trading arrangements, warning that without adequate financial support, climate change could significantly undermine banana production and the livelihoods dependent on it.
