From: David Sangurima <sangu@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Date: 01 Sep 92 22:29 PDT
Subject: IPS: Europe Won't Reduce Banana Imp
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1473800289:000:3301
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!sangu    Sep  1 22:29:00 1992


/* Written  2:43 am  Aug 30, 1992 by josefina in cdp:reg.latinameri */
/* ---------- "IPS: Europe Won't Reduce Banana Imp" ---------- */
From: Josefina Velasquez <josefina>
Subject: IPS: Europe Won't Reduce Banana Imports

/* Escrito 12:18 am  Aug 24, 1992 por newsdesk en cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "LATIN AMERICA: EUROPE WILL NOT REDU" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Europe, western; Trade & Finance
Title: LATIN AMERICA: EUROPE WILL NOT REDUCE BANANA IMPORTS, SAYS EC


tegucigalpa, aug 21 (ips) -- the european community (ec) will not
reduce the amount of bananas it is importing from central
america, fernando cardessa, the ec's ambassador for central
america, said here friday.

he told reporters, ''on the contrary, we will continue
importing the same quantity of bananas and, possibly, we may
even increase it, to make sure that banana imports reach some ec
members who are not getting the fruit at present.''

the ec ambassador, whose regional headquarters are in costa
rica, is in tegucigalpa for a brief official visit.

he said the perceptions of some central american presidents,
who believed the ec would impose quotas on central american
banana imports in 1993, were erroneous.

''this perception is not at all correct,'' said cardessa,
''because though all presidents say central american exports to
the ec area will be reduced, they are at the same time increasing
their banana production, because they are aware that a bigger
banana market will develop in europe.''

banana exports are a principal source of foreign revenue for
most central american countries--including panama, costa rica
and honduras.

the ec is a principal importer of the fruit. but some of its
members--including britain, france and spain--have preferntial
banana importing arrangements, either with some of their former
caribbean colonies or, in the case of spain, with the canary
islands.

on jan. 1, 1993, streamlined common market arrangements go
into effect in western europe.

there have been suggestions that a 20 percent customs duty
will be imposed on central american bananas, to protect imports
coming from the caribbean area and the canary islands.
(more/ips)


central america: europe (2)

central america, which is also moving toward regional
economic integration, has been protesting against any imposition
of extra duties on central american bananas that would make the
fruit uncompetitive in the european markets.

more than 100,000 workers are involved in the cultivation of
central america's banana plantations, and in the various
processes involved in exporting millions of cases of bananas
per year, mainly to the european and north american markets.

a drastic cutback of central america's banana exports would
therefore have political, as well as economic, impact, because
thousands of workers would lose their jobs, according to central
american governments.

on the other hand, some caribbean banana producers claim that
central american labour costs are far below those in the
caribbean, and that european countries must respect long-term
banana importing contracts with their caribbean suppliers.
(ends/ips/tr/sp/ip/ie/er/it)




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