Banana Trade Struggles in Canary Islands Amid EU Changes
The Canary Islands’ banana industry faces significant challenges as market dynamics shift. The Association of Producer Organisations of Bananas (Asprocan), led by José Carlos Rendón, has acknowledged a tough reality: bananas have overtaken Canarian bananas in mainland Spain. Recent data reveals that in 2025, Canarian bananas held a 49% market share in Spain, slipping further to 47% in the first five months of 2026, while bananas seized 53%.
Asprocan attributes this decline to external factors, such as EU bans on certain pesticides that limit local production. Even so, some suggest that local farmers may also be struggling due to adverse weather conditions and changing consumer preferences for cheaper bananas.
Rendón’s ambitious aim to produce 600 million kilos of bananas annually seems increasingly distant, given the current output of just 375 million kilos in 2025. With rising production costs and an uncertain future for EU funding, the path forward is fraught with difficulty.
As the situation evolves, farmers must grapple with whether these changes signal a permanent shift in the market or a temporary setback. The stakes are high for approximately 7,000 banana growers in the region, as they attempt to sustain this vital sector.
