Banana producers in Latin America are calling for higher payments after extreme weather during this year’s “super El Niño” phenomenon caused serious production losses. Strong winds are affecting parts of Colombia, torrential rains are disrupting operations in Peru and Ecuador, while drier and warmer-than-usual conditions are expected in the Dominican Republic.
Fairtrade data shows the scale of the risk. During the previous El Niño cycle, productivity among the farmers and workers the organisation works with fell by 13% in the Dominican Republic, 22% in Ecuador and 6% in Peru compared with the previous year. During one of the strongest manifestations of the phenomenon, in 1983, 15% of Ecuador’s banana-growing areas were affected, while exports fell by 36%.
“This El Niño is expected to bring more extreme weather, including torrential rains and strong winds, and we expect the consequences for producers to be more severe” than those during the 2023–2024 cycle, says Carly-Jane Stanton, head of climate and environment at Fairtrade.
Exports from Colombia decline
The first data on this year’s losses are already coming from Colombia. Exports from the country’s Caribbean region fell by 32% to $122 million between July and September, according to the Association of Banana Producers of Magdalena and La Guajira. Deliveries in September alone were 42% lower than in the same month of the previous year, while revenue fell from $70 million to $40 million.
The association is calling on international markets to create trading conditions that reflect actual production costs and support the sector’s resilience. According to the organisation, losses caused by the climate-related decline in productivity, reduced export revenue and currency problems are undermining the industry’s economic resilience.
“The climate has changed a great deal over the past 10 years. It is getting hotter and hotter. In some places there are losses because of the climate, floods and strong winds. This will affect all of us, and our wages will fall,” says Ever Antonio Flores Muñoz, a worker at Colombian producer Agrosiete.Producers seek changes to the supply chain
Fairtrade is urging the United Kingdom to adopt legislation against unfair trading practices, including low or delayed payments to farmers and contracts that pass risk down the chain. According to the organisation, fairer remuneration would enable producers to invest in resilient varieties, protection against extreme weather, and measures to combat pests and diseases.
Some companies, including Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Waitrose, already sell only Fairtrade bananas, for which a minimum price is guaranteed. The organisation, however, believes that voluntary measures are not enough.
“The price of bananas in supermarkets should reflect the real and sustainable costs of production, including labour, decent pay, environmental management, respect for human rights and investment in climate change adaptation,” says Kayomi Buckley, director of corporate affairs at Fyffes.
Supermarket banana prices have remained almost unchanged for nearly 40 years, even though the costs of fertilisers, fuel and labour have risen. A study by the Ethical Trading Initiative shows that in 2026, the prices paid to suppliers did not cover basic production costs for 66.7% of them.
The risk is long-term. According to a study prepared for the Inter-American Development Bank, by 2050 the land suitable for growing bananas in Latin America and the Caribbean could decline by an average of 61%.