An Ecuadorian banana industry leaders says his country's exporters are aiming to oust the Philippines to take number one spot in the Chinese market, website Andes.info.ec reported.

"We would like to open up a bit more and create relations, business and grow," Association of Ecuadorian Banana Exporters (AEBE) president Andres Serrano told the publication.

Serrano is part of a trade mission visiting in China that started on Jan. 5 and will go until this Friday.

The story reported the banana trade in China reached 250,000 cartons of 13kg (28.6lbs) per week in November, raising exports by 500%.

He said the opportunity had arisen in China partly due to the impact of Panama Disease Tropical Race IV in the Philippines, which had destroyed plantations, limited sales and pushed up prices.

"This makes the price of Ecuadorian fruit, which is normally expensive because of the distance [from Euador to China], start to justify having Ecuador as a normal supplier during the whole year," he was quoted as saying.

"The Chinese middle class is rising with purchasing power. On the other hand, northern China requires fruit that is similar to what Ecuador produces."

He added that while Ecuadorian and Philippine bananas are similar, the latter is smaller and its ripening conditions vary, and Ecuadorian fruit could last longer as green fruit in cold storage before ripening with ethylene gas.

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