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At last, Latin American Bananas for EU at such good price! (Updated)
Updates: The African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) would express their concerns to EU over the recent Banana deal with Latin America at WTO. They would be asking for compensation. Fin de la guerre de la banane ?« Les pays ACP qui exportent leurs bananes sans droit de douane vers l'Union européenne sont déçus et inquiets, comme le ministre camerounais du commerce Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana... Ils menacent de bloquer l'ensemble des négociations OMC s'ils n'obtiennent pas de compensations... »
Caracas, Venezuela, 27 July 2008. Tonight, the European Union and Latin American ended a 15 year old negotiations -"banana wars"-over the tariffs on banana. Latin American countries -Colombia, Panamá, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Perú, Brasil, México, Nicaragua andVenezuela- have contested the unfair treatment of their banana exports to Europe at the World Trade Organization (WTO). They claimed that the preferential tariffs given to former European colonies of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries was discriminatory as they enter European markets as tariff free. On the other hand, EU tariffs on Latin American bananas are currently at 176 euros per metric tonne or 1.000 kilogrammes.
Representing Latin American Banana interests, Brazil, Costa Rica and Colombia finally agreed on the terms of the EU deal at the World Trade Organization. After the deal, they would be lowered to 114 euros per tonne by 2016.
The top Banana producing countries are: India, Brazil, China, Ecuador, Philippines, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Thailand, Colombia, Burundi, etc.
Sources: El Universal, Yahoo, EU Business,




Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (3)
at 21:03 on July 27th, 2008
rahul, I like this story. It's good stuff. Although China is apparently blocking further negotiations?
at 06:56 on July 28th, 2008
rahul, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 07:06 on July 28th, 2008
rahul, I like this story. This has been going on for AGES! I thought the WTO had ruled that the ACP special treatment was illegal a long time ago! The EU has some stupid rules about the shape and size of bananas and everyone knows that the proper bananas that local people eat are much sorter and sweeeter. Im appalled at the way these banana important get sprayed with chemicals when they come to Britain by sea, to make them 'ripen'.