Ecuadorian bananas strive to expand their global footprint
Add Fresh Fruit Portal to GoogleAlready the leading exporter of bananas in the world, Ecuador is looking to further consolidate its position and advance its strategy for market diversification. Through trade visits and bilateral diplomatic initiatives, the Andean country is strengthening ties with some of the world's largest and most commercially interesting markets. And the effort has paid off.
During his time at the 2026 edition of Banana Time held at the end of October in Guayaquil, Ecuador, José Antonio Hidalgo, Executive Director of the Association of Ecuadorian Banana Exporters (AEBE), celebrated the strides made by his country’s government in opening market access for local goods.
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He particularly praised the recently finalized trade agreement between Ecuador and South Korea, which the industry expects will bring an important export surge in the coming years.
"We hope that once the tariff phaseout is implemented over five years after the trade agreement takes effect, we reach zero tariff and can sustain that steady 200 percent growth we saw a couple of years ago," the executive said during his participation.
But the Asian nation is only one of many destinations the Andean country is looking to get closer to. Japan is an interesting market to unlock, while Gulf nations in the Middle East are a natural next step on the country’s path across the region, following successful trade relations with Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
More Ecuadorian bananas to Asia
Ecuador recently signed a trade agreement with South Korea, which will progressively eliminate import tariffs on several goods from the Latin American country over a five-year period.
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For bananas, this means dropping the longstanding six percent levy on imports, which, according to AEBE, has helped reduce shipments to the Asian country by 61 percent year on year.
Once the trade deal enters into force (which the industry body hopes will be soon), the five-year phasing-out period will begin, eventually bringing tariffs down to zero. At this point, Hidalgo says the industry expects a 200 percent surge in banana exports to South Korea, as shown by a past temporary exemption.
However, the Asian country is only the most recent advancement into the continent. Ecuador also inked a trade agreement with China, which recently kick-started a seven-year phase-out of the seven percent tariff imposed by the Asian giant on goods from the Latin American country. AEBE is hopeful this timeline will accelerate as a result of the recently strengthened ties between the nations.
The industry body is doing similar work with Japan, with whom sector representatives have been meeting regularly in hopes of easing import restrictions on Ecuadorian bananas.
"In a couple of weeks, a private-sector trade delegation will travel to Japan to continue strengthening ties and pushing for a trade deal with these markets," Hidalgo said.
An entry way into the Middle East
The Ecuadorian banana industry also enjoys privileged access to Middle Eastern destinations thanks to a trade agreement with the UAE granting duty-free access to the Persian Gulf.
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This deal has helped make the region the third-largest destination for Latin American fruit, accounting for 14 percent of total exports, or roughly 14 million boxes by August 2026. This reflects a 3.5 percent year–on-year uptick.
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia are also two big buyers of Ecuadorian bananas, with 5.55 million and 5.52 million boxes each.
With this presence in the region, the country hopes to further expand its footprint, for which it has continued high-level diplomatic engagement alongside trade delegations to consolidate bilateral ties.
"That has been the formula in recent years: not just discussing and signing agreements, but also creating these public-private forums that highlight the origin and quality of the products," the AEBE executive noted.
*All images are referential via Shutterstock
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