Colombia increased banana production in 2017
The Colombian banana industry boosted production by 5% to 97.8 million boxes year-on-year in 2017, while planted surface area rose 4% to 49,146 hectares. 
The Colombian Banana Growers' Association (Augura) said that 72 million boxes were exported last year, bringing in US$621 million.
The European Union remained as the leading market, receiving 76% of shipments, while the U.S. took 16%.
The association's president Juan Camilo Restrepo Gómez also highlighted an improved working environment and the development of social and environmental programs.
Among the biggest achievements of 2017, Augura listed the memorandum of understanding signed to help make Puerto Antioquia a reality, as well as the generation of 35,000 direct jobs.
This year the association is working to increase productivity by renovating farms, strengthening the workforce, implementing new technology and boosting research efforts.
It added that the Banana Research Center (Cenibanano) will have an important role of improving practices in the sector through scientific advances.
In addition, it said it would work with growers and sellers in the Denomination of Origin project, in an effort to offer improved commercial recognition to Colombian bananas in export markets.
