Lack of regulatory framework for shared responsibility in the banana value chain

Question for written answer  E-001501/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Mónica Silvana González (S&D)

The EU consumes 6.5 million tonnes of bananas per year, 10 % of which are produced in Europe, 25 % in Africa and 65 % in Latin America.

In Ecuador, the banana industry accounts for 3 % of its gross domestic product (GDP) and 35 % of its agricultural GDP. What is more, 95 % of producers are small (

In order to sell in the EU, retailers force producers to sign up to ‘voluntary’ private certification schemes – which are actually mandatory – while paying them less and less for their bananas. Producers therefore incur increased production costs and receive lower remuneration, therefore impoverishing and hindering the development of rural populations.

A 2010 Commission communication[1] outlined the dangers of this dynamic. However, neither the retailers nor the certification companies have assumed their share of responsibility since, and the cost borne by producers keeps increasing.

Will the Commission consider developing a mandatory shared responsibility scheme to distribute sustainability-related costs throughout the production chain in a more transparent and fair way?

• [1] Commission communication on EU best practice guidelines for voluntary certification schemes foragricultural products and foodstuffs: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2010:341:0005:0011:en:PDF.