ASSOCIATION DES PRODUCTEURS AFRICAINS DE BANANES ET AUTRES FRUITS
AFRUIBANA
L’association a notamment pour objet : d’être un cadre de réflexion et d’échanges sur toutes les questions d’intérêt pour la filière bananière africaine et les autres fruits; de mener toutes actions auprès des institutions européennes et des autorités britanniques en vue de conserver un accès privilégié des producteurs africains aux marchés UE et britannique ; d’œuvrer pour l’obtention d’un appui pour l’amélioration de la compétitivité et de la durabilité de la filière banane ; d’œuvrer pour la mise en place des marchés régionaux.
ID: 500405828090-97
Lobbying Activity
Response to New comprehensive strategic approach towards India
24 Apr 2025
Afruibana, the pan-African association of African fruit and banana producers and exporters, welcomes the rapprochement between the European Union and the Republic of India. The recent official visit by the European Commission and this draft joint communication seem to augur real positive developments for the European Union. However, Afruibana wishes to draw the European Commission's attention to the importance of safeguarding the interests of historic and virtuous economic partners, particularly Africa, which could be negatively impacted by this rapprochement. A) India, a potentially destabilising trading partner for the African industry : Afruibana notes in the European Commission's roadmap for a joint communication the desire to deepen trade relations between India and the European Union. In her speech on 28 February 2025, Ursula von der Leyen even raised the possibility of a free trade agreement. In this context, it is essential to remember that India is currently the world's leading banana producer, with production almost four times greater than that of Ecuador, the world's leading exporter. A free-trade agreement between the European Union and India offering new outlets to the Indian banana industry would exacerbate the highly competitive nature of the sector, threatening the viability not only of the African industry, but also of the European industry, which is facing the same difficulties. Moreover, India has already expressed its dissatisfaction with certain European texts such as the EUDR and the CBAM, which it considers to be unfair barriers to entry. However, maintaining these conditions and the regulatory framework is essential if the efforts supported by other trading partners, particularly in Africa, are to be worthwhile. B) The African banana industry: virtuous and structuring, but also fragile : The banana industry is extremely structuring for a whole part of the African economy, particularly in Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon and Ghana, with more than a million people depending locally on the income it generates. In this way, it contributes to the development and economic stability of local populations. Relying on the quality of its commercial partnerships, the sector has made considerable efforts in terms of social and environmental compliance with the ambitious European standards emerging in particular from the Green Deal. However, the African banana sector faces fierce competition from Latin America, particularly in its biggest export market: the European Union. This ultra-competitive environment is partially balanced by the imposition of a customs duty of 75 per tonne of bananas imported into the European market, from which African producers are exempt. The continuation of this customs duty is essential to the survival of the African banana industry in this environment. C) Preserving the balance of all commercial partnerships : In this context, Afruibana supports the European Union's prospects for closer relations with India, but calls for these to be integrated into a reflection that takes into account the balance of this relationship with that established with Africa. For banana producers, this means in concrete terms : 1. Maintaining a customs duty of 75 per tonne of bananas imported under a possible free trade agreement with India 2. Maintaining high social and environmental standards in trade with partner countries, and promoting reciprocity clauses with India and all its partners. 3. Consultation with representatives of the African Union on the contours of a closer economic relationship between the European Union and India. Afruibana is at the disposal of the European Commission to provide further technical information on the competitive situation of the African banana, or to facilitate exchanges with its national sectoral and institutional representatives.
Read full response28 Sept 2023
Afruibana est lassociation panafricaine des producteurs et exportateurs africains de bananes de Côte dIvoire, du Cameroun et du Ghana. Dans le cadre de relations commerciales remontant parfois à plus dun siècle, les membres de notre association exportent chaque année près de 600 000 tonnes de bananes vers lUnion européenne, et sont à lorigine de plus de 80 000 emplois dans les ruralités africaines, emplois essentiels et stables pour les communautés locales. Le transport maritime est un maillon essentiel de cette chaîne de valeur reliant lAfrique à lEurope. Lessentiel de ces exportations nécessite en effet une prestation de transport et de logistique spécialisée pour les produits frais. Parmi ces acteurs essentiels, la compagnie Africa Express Lines (AEL) exploite une flotte de dix navires frigorifiques modernes et spécialisés transportant environ 800 000 tonnes de fruits et de denrées périssables sur deux services de ligne hebdomadaires dédiés à lEurope et à lAfrique de lOuest. AEL est également en mesure de prendre en charge des cargaisons sensibles au temps, qu'elles soient sur le pont, sous le pont ou conteneurisées. Dans le cadre de la préservation des intérêts de notre secteur, nous souhaitons témoigner de linquiétude partagée par nos membres et AEL quant à limpact de lextension du SEQE sur le secteur maritime. Cette extension affectera dès 2024 100% des fruits et autres marchandises périssables. Il semble urgent et important que la gestion du SEQE, tout en maintenant ses objectifs de décarbonation et de durabilité du transport maritime, prenne en considération de manière équitable les biais concurrentiels quelle ne manquera pas dintroduire. Il est à ce titre important de rappeler que, dans le secteur de la banane, entre 2016 et 2022 : 1) Les forces concurrentielles ont été nettement favorables aux 9 pays producteurs de bananes latino-américains, leur permettant un développement de leurs parts de marché en Europe de 70% à plus de 75%, et une croissance de leurs volumes dexportation de 4,26 à 4,74 millions de tonnes (soit plus de 10%) ; 2) La consolidation de la position dominante de lÉquateur, de la Colombie et du Costa Rica qui ont vu croître leurs volumes exportés combinés de 440 milliers de tonnes, soit 91% de la croissance latino-américaine et une part de marché combinée de 61 à 66% ; 3) La diminution des parts de marché en Europe des producteurs des Antilles et des Canaries (de 633 à 510 milliers de tonnes, soit un déclin de 19%) et de lAfrique (se réduisant de plus de 7%). Tenant compte du fait quune part importante des exportations africaines vers lUE est constituée de fruits périssables à faible marge commerciale, et que le volume des relations commerciales euro-africaines nont pas connu un développement à la hauteur des ambitions affichées, Afruibana et AEL considèrent que la surtaxe induite par le SEQE risque dimpacter très durablement la pérennité des exportations de fruits exotiques africains, et ainsi loffre sur le marché européen. Pour rappel, les fruits exotiques sont pour lAfrique une source demploi stable pour les communautés locales. Affaiblir cette locomotive dans un contexte dincertitude géopolitique en Afrique de lOuest représente un risque significatif à la fois pour la paix sociale dans les pays de production, et une menace à lancrage géographique des populations dans les ruralités. Afruibana et tous ses membres se tiennent à la disposition de la Commission européenne pour approfondir les échanges sur les points soulevés.
Read full responseResponse to New Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean
8 Feb 2023
As the pan-African association of African fruit producers and exporters, and particularly of bananas, Afruibana is delighted with the rapprochement between the European Union and the Latin American and Caribbean zone that this draft communication seems to augur. Indeed, the international context requires more than ever the strengthening of the links between the European Union and some of its partners and the Spanish presidency of the Council from June 2023 constitutes a particularly opportune moment for a rapprochement between these two partner zones, taking into account the very strong historical and cultural links that unite South America and Spain. However, Afruibana wishes to draw the attention and call the attention of the European Commission to the importance of not working towards this rapprochement to the detriment of its other historical and loyal economic partners, especially Africa. Indeed, Spain's previous presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2010 had already been the occasion for a rapprochement. In the specific case of the banana sector, it resulted in an agreement on the gradual reduction of customs duties for South American producers from 114 to 75 per tonne of bananas exported to the European Union by 2020. The dismantling of this customs duty has had deleterious effects on the market, allowing Latin American producers to increase their exports to Europe by more than 32% between 2013 and 2021. Any dismantling of the 75 per tonne residue would jeopardise the balance to which the African continent has been able to adapt, and would have very harmful and lasting effects on both African and European production. In Ghana, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire, the banana sector is an economic pillar that generates income, added value and foreign currency. It plays a driving role in the socio-economic development of our countries, the eradication of poverty, the mitigation of rural exodus and migration and the strengthening of food security. Afruibana also believes in the virtue of social dialogue and has been promoting for years an environment of wage and union representation that guarantees continuous progress in the working conditions of its 80,000 direct and indirect employees, on whom about half a million families depend in the sensitive and fragile areas of rural Africa between the Sudano-Sahelian strip and the coastal countries of West and Central Africa. In addition, the African banana industry produces fruit of exceptional quality, particularly from an environmental point of view. In line with - not equivalent to - the European market requirements for organic farming, the African banana sector also has a considerable lead in terms of agro-ecological transition for the so-called "conventional" market segment. Finally, the African sector has many advantages in the European Union's supply mix for its food security. Indeed, in addition to the advantages linked to its environmental policy, which alleviates the problems of supply of synthetic fertilisers resulting from the war in Ukraine, Africa's geographical location does not expose it to the cyclonic risks that unfortunately affect Latin America and the Caribbean islands on an increasingly regular basis, and contributes to the general reduction of the carbon footprint of the banana sector, due to the fact that it is far less distant from Europe in terms of the number of days at sea. The synthesis of these factors makes it clearer than ever that African bananas are an essential part of the European supply mix, balancing the need to address the rising cost of living, promote a virtuous and sustainable global transition and enhance food security, both in Europe and in Africa. This is why Afruibana is calling for the safeguarding of the 75 per tonne duty-free allowance for bananas exported by South American producers to Europe, thus enabling Africa to continue to play its role as a faithful and reliable partner of the European Union.
Read full responseResponse to Application of EU health and environmental standards to imported agricultural and agri-food products
16 Mar 2022
Afruibana is the pan-African association of fruit producers and exporters, including bananas from Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. It was created in 2017 to federate the interests of the fruit sector in Africa, promote its competitiveness and exports to the European continent, while facilitating the implementation of aid and financing programs.
As an association exporting mainly to the European Union (+85% of our exports), we support the European Commission's desire to promote the emergence of sustainable food systems through the application of European production standards (sanitary, social and environmental) to agri-food products imported into its territory.
Firmly committed to the transformation of agricultural systems through the implementation of new practices such as agro-ecology or organic farming, Afruibana is in favor of this initiative which, through, for example, the introduction of mirror clauses at the EU borders, would preserve the competitiveness of the European agricultural sector and that of third countries respecting the standards imposed under the Green Deal, while promoting good environmental and sanitary practices outside the EU. From a sanitary point of view, the prohibition of the placing on the European market of foodstuffs treated with substances not approved by the EU would contribute to the protection of consumer health.
The introduction of such reciprocity in trade agreements with third countries would have the advantage of limiting any distortion of competition faced by European farmers but also by the EU's many partners, such as African banana producers vis-à-vis Dollar banana producers, and which could jeopardize the ecological transition so desired by Europe. Indeed, by increasing oversupply, Latin American producers have levelled prices downwards: between 2015 and 2020, the average price of an 18.5 kg banana box has fallen from €14.15 to €11.63, making it extremely difficult to pursue efforts to create a value chain combining sustainability, profitability and protection of workers and consumers. These clauses could indeed be a good thing provided that significant technical and financial means are made available to Europe's partners to lead this transition.
Furthermore, Afruibana welcomes the implementation of a European legislative initiative on imported deforestation. Indeed, the import of unsustainable products contributing to deforestation on the European market exposes Europe and its trading partners who make the effort to match its production requirements, to competition from products with much lower social, environmental and health standards, while compromising the achievement of the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
Finally, Afruibana supports the proposed EU directive on corporate sustainability due diligence, which aims to ensure that products placed on the European market comply with European environmental standards throughout the supply chain and that none of them result in human rights violations or forced or child labor. As such, the African banana sector has committed, through the signing of Convention 182 of the International Labor Organization, to fight against child labor and formally prohibits the employment of minors among its members.
Consequently, we believe that the imposition of standards on products imported into the EU would meet a fourfold objective, namely to protect the environment, consumer health, avoid unfair competition on the continent and thus accelerate the ecological transition.
Read full responseMeeting with Andrea Beltramello (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis), Cristina Rueda Catry (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis)
26 Oct 2021 · ACP and EU banana markets
28 May 2021
AFRUIBANA warmly welcomes the draft delegated regulation of the European Commission. The European Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) is an essential support for the social and environmental transition initiated by the European Union in Sub-Saharan African countries. As a pan-African association of fruit, and specifically banana, producers and exporters, AFRUIBANA is already committed, on its own scale, to greater social inclusion and sustainability in its cultivation methods.
AFRUIBANA welcomes the support that the European Union is willing to provide to local African society. As promoted by the draft delegated regulation, AFRUIBANA promotes exemplary working conditions throughout the entire value chain, be it through the establishment of decent wage, the promotion and respect of human rights, the fight against discrimination or the promotion of diversity by encouraging the integration of women in the banana sector, thus promoting gender equality.
Furthermore, AFRUIBANA welcomes the establishment of an instrument to support the environmental transition on a global scale. Strengthening the sustainability of African agriculture is essential for the global society given the importance of African exports to Europe and the rest of the world. AFRUIBANA is aware of the fragility of the environment in which its members operate and has been transforming its agricultural practices towards greater sustainability for several years. This includes the implementation of more environmentally friendly agricultural practices, the reduction of the use of phytosanitary products and synthetic fertilizers, the preservation of biodiversity, but also the ecological transition of its maritime and road transport.
Finally, AFRUIBANA praises the European Commission's project to support the local economy and is also committed to the development of the local economic tissue in the territories in which it operates. AFRUIBANA promotes access to training, education and health services which are vectors of resilience and prosperity for communities, especially in rural areas where unemployment is often the highest. Ensuring access to adequate training and education for the most disadvantaged populations contributes to achieving the objectives of sustainable development as well as preventing and containing forced emigration and migration flows to Europe.
AFRUIBANA therefore encourages the establishment of an instrument that can help protect an agriculture weakened by climate disasters and unfair competition. The NDICI is an important instrument for African actors who wish to follow the path of the European Green Deal but who do not have enough financial means or resources to do so alone.
Finally, AFRUIBANA considers that an effective monitoring mechanism should be put in place to ensure the correct implementation of the allocations, the follow-up of these allocations and to verify the respect of the commitments of the beneficiary countries. Countries that commit themselves to an effective socio-environmental transition should not be penalized, unlike countries that do not respect the standards promoted by the European Union.
Read full responseResponse to Trade policy review, including WTO reform initiative
13 Jul 2020
AFRUIBANA is an association of fruit producers/exporters from Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and includes in particular the Banana Association of Cameroon (ASSOBACAM), the Organization of Producers/Exporters of Bananas, Pineapples, Mangoes and Other Fruits of Côte d’Ivoire (OBAM-CI) and the Banana Producers Association, Ghana (BPA).
AFRUIBANA is an open platform that aims to bring together the interests of the fruit sector in Africa. It was officially launched on 19 July, the 19th,2017 in Brussels, on the occasion of the visit of His Excellency Mr Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Cameroonian Minister of Trade and spokesperson for ACP countries at international conferences on bananas.
AFRUIBANA was created to preserve and develop fruit exports to the countries of the European Union. It is also intended to be an interface between producers in the sector and European institutions in order to facilitate the implementation of support measures for African producers.
The President of the Association is Joseph OWONA KONO, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly’s last co-president, and the Secretary-General Jean-François BILLOT.
Read full responseMeeting with Catherine Geslain-Laneelle (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski), Simona Pinzariu (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski)
8 Jul 2020 · • improving training of local workers of the fruit industry, • integrating cost structures while developing local value and talents, • accelerating the transition to agroecological agriculture, • decarbonising the entire value chain
Meeting with Isabelle Magne (Cabinet of Vice-President Cecilia Malmström)
16 Jan 2018 · bananas