Organic banana growers in Spain's Canary Islands have called on the local grower body to establish a single marketing category for bananas that have only been treated with natural products, website Eldia.es reported.

Unions from Tenerife have supported the request to the Canary Islands Banana Growers Organizations Association (ASPROCAN), which proposes a marketing strategy based on quality rather than size, the story reported

El Dia reported the proposal pointed to higher costs involved in organic production, while marketing also needed to promote understanding of its health and environmental benefits.

"In other countries like France or Germany there is a great consciousness for organic products. We also want to sell to Spain but the key is to go one step further," the proposal said.

"The South American banana is not organic, so we don't have competition."

The story reported organic farms in La Palma produced around one million kilograms of bananas annually.

Elsewhere in Spain, The Agriculture and Livestock Organizations Coordinator (COAG) has labelled businesses who sell fruits grown in developing coutnries as 'traitors', website ElAlmeria.es reported.

In a presentation in Almeria, COAG provincial secretary Andrés Góngora said consumers should be proactive in buying locally-grown produce, highlighting many retailers purchased foreign food regardless of quality, the story reported.

"We'd like to call the attention of our citizens about the importance of consuming fruits and vegetables grown close to home," Góngora was quoted as saying.

He said retail chains that sell fruit were actually selling 'confidence' while betraying the consumer.

Photo: www.spanishfoodworld.co.uk

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