EN 
 
  EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
Brussels, 17.3.2010 
SEC(2010)331 final 
 
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
Including Factual Information 
 
Accompanying the 
 
Biennial Report on the Special Framework of Assistance for traditional ACP 
suppliers of bananas 
from the Commission to the European parliament and the Council 
{COM(2010) 103} 
 
 Table of contents  
1A: SFA Use of Funds; Improving Competitiveness    
1B: SFA Use of Funds; Diversification      2: Commitments and disbursements per calendar year 3: Implementation details per beneficiary country 4: Banana – European Union Imports 1993 to 2008 5: Recommendations and Actions taken by SFA Beneficiaries 6: Impact per beneficiary country 
 
 3    
Annex 1A: SFA PROGRAMME - USE OF FUNDS
Total
Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type
Belize 3.10 (1) 3.10 (2/6) 3.00 (1) 2.70 (2/3) 3.20 (2/11/14) 2.93 (2/11/14) 2.49 (4/7/14) 1.22 (2,3,14) 0.24 (13,17) 0.00 (-) 21.98
Cameroon 6.20 (1/2/5/11) 5.70 (1/2/5/11) 5.60 (1/2/5/11) 5.10 (1/2/5/11) 4.50(1/2/3/5/6/
11)4.38(1/2/3/5/6/
11)3.72 1/2/5/6/9) 3.21(1,2,3,5,6,
11,14,20)4.26(1,2,3,5,6,
11,14,20)4.61(1,2,3,5,6,
11,14,20)47.28
Cape Verde 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00
Dominica 5.49 (1/14) 5.23 (1/14) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 10.72
Grenade 0.94 (1/5/8/14) 0.50 (1/14) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 1.44
Ivory Coast 4.32 (1/2/5/14) 4.05(1/2/5/9/14
)2.60(1/2/5/9/14
)2.60 (6/7/14) 2.10(1/2/5/9/14
)1.38(5/9/12/14
)3.75 (6/9) 4.12 (5,11) 3.61(/1/2/13/14
/19/21/22)4.55(1,13,14,2
0)33.08
Jamaica 5.30 (3/5/6/12) 5.30(1/2/3/4/5/
6/8)3.47 (10) 2.90 (1/2) 2.75 (1/12/14) 2.42 (1/12/14) 2.45 (12/14) 1.75 (2,12,14) 2.40 (1,13,14) 0.65 (12,13) 29.39
Madagascar 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00
St Lucia 4.69 (1/14) 4.96 (1/14) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 1.45 (12/14) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 11.10
St Vincent & 
Grenadines1.26 (5/14) 0.80 (5/14) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 2.06
Somalia 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00 (-) 0.00
Suriname 3.10 (1/14) 2.70 (1) 2.70 (1) 2.50 (1) 2.20 (1/5) 2.31 (1/12/14) 1.96 (1) 1.67 (2,3,22) 1.42 (2,3,22) 1.21 (2,3,22) 21.77
TOTAL 34.40 32.34 17.37 15.80 14.75 13.42 15.82 11.97 11.93 11.01 178.812004 2005 2006 2007 CountryBoosting Productivity
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2008
 
 
 4   notes 1 Irrigation and drainage 6 Cold storage 11 Social projects 16 ICT 21 Energ y
2 Renewal of plantations 7 Agriculture/Rural Development 12 Training 17 Tourism 22 Cablewa y
3 Phyto-sanitary treatment 8 Roads 13 Institutional Support 18 Water
4 Fertilise r 9 Social Infrastructure 14 Technical Assistance 19 Infrastructures
5 Packin g 10 Micro-credit 15 Private Secto r 20 Environment  
Annex 1B: SFA PROGRAMME - USE OF FUNDS
Total
Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type Amount Type
Belize 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,45 (9/10) 0,80 (7) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,89 (9,12,13) 1,56 (12) 2,04 (12,13) 5,74
Cameroon 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (?) 0,00
Cape Verde 0,50 (7) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,50 (7) 0,50 (7/14) 0,50 (7/14) 0,5 (7/12) 0,5 (7,12) 0,50 (7,12) 0,50 (7,12) 4,00
Dominica 1,01 (7/10) 1,27 (7/10) 6,70 (7/10/11) 6,40 (10/14) 5,90 (17/18) 5,30 (15/19) 4,51 (16) 3,83 (13/14/17) 3,26 (7,14,18) 3,60(18,19,20, 
13, 14)41,78
Grenade 0,06 (14) 0,00 (-) 0,50 (10) 0,50 (10) 0,50 (12/13/14) 0,50 (15) 0,5 (15/16) 0,5 (13/14) 0,50(7,13,14,1
6)0,50 (7) 4,06
Ivory Coast 0,38 (7/14) 0,30 (7/14) 0,25 (7/14) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,70 (7,14) 0,00 (?) 1,63
Jamaica 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 1,53 (14) 1,80 (7) 1,65 (7/14) 2,42 (7/14) 1,65 (12/14) 1,75 (7,12,14) 0,57 (7,14) 1,88 (7,12,13) 13,25
Madagascar 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,50 (7) 0,50 (7) 0,50 (7) 0,5 (7/12) 0,5 (7) 0,50 (14) 0,50 (7) 3,50
St Lucia 3,81 (7/11) 3,92 (7/11) 9,20(7/9/10/11/
13/14)8,80(7/9/10/11/
13/14)8,00 (20) 7,26(7/11/12/1
4)3,06(7/11/15/2
0)5,41(7/11/13/1
4/21)4,60 (14,17) 4,80 (9,12,16) 58,86
St Vincent & 
Grenadines4,84 (8/14) 5,65 (8/14) 6,40 (8) 6,10 (11/14) 5,60 (11/14) 5,33 (15) 4,53 (16) 3,85 (14/17) 3,27(12,13,14,
17,21)3,46 (12,17) 49,03
Somalia 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,60 (14) 2,80 (1/7) 2,60 (1/7/14) 2,07 (1/7) 1,76 (7/13) 1,5 1/7 1,28 1/7 1,09 (-) 13,70
Suriname 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00 (-) 0,00
TOTAL 10,60 11,14 25,63 28,20 25,25 23,88 17,01 18,73 16,74 18,37 195,54CountryDiversification
1999 2000 2001 2006 2007 2008 2002 2003 2004 2005
 
 
 5   notes 1 Irrigation and drainage 6 Cold storage 11 Social projects 16 ICT 21 Energ y
2 Renewal of plantations 7 Agriculture/Rural Development 12 Training 17 Tourism 22 Cablewa y
3 Phyto-sanitary treatment 8 Roads 13 Institutional Support 18 Water
4 Fertilise r 9 Social Infrastructure 14 Technical Assistance 19 Infrastructures
5 Packin g 10 Micro-credit 15 Private Secto r 20 Environment
 
 6   Annex 2: Commitments and Disbursements per calender year
Countries Year Amount (€) Commitments (€)Payments (€)Commitments (€)Payments (€)Commitments (€)Payments (€)Commitments (€)Payments (€)Commitments (€)Payments (€)Commitments (€)Payments (€)Commitments (€)Payments (€)Commitments (€)Payments (€)Commitments (€)Payments (€)
<2008 346.725.000,00 31.304.419,83 21.748.347,52 20.225.651,45 33. 820.712,82 41.049.242,58 17.248.716,47 4.099.908,58 6.840.999,47 13.263 .104,86 10.122.048,10 67.329.103,06 20.763.104,72 62.082.392,18 39.3 07.104,10 42.362.551,60 45.935.32 4,00 281.716.374,14 195.786.357,20
2008 29.226.000,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00
Total 375.951.000,00 31.304.419,83 21.748.347,52 20.225.651,45 33. 820.712,82 41.049.242,58 17.248.716,47 4.099.908,58 6.840.999,47 13.263 .104,86 10.122.048,10 67.329.103,06 20.763.104,72 62.082.392,18 39.3 07.104,10 42.362.551,60 45.935.32 4,00 281.716.374,14 195.786.357,20Total
All2008 2007 2003 2004 2005 2006 Allocations (€) < 2002 2002
 
 
 7  
3. Implementation per beneficiary country 
The implementation of the SFA programme is most delayed in Cape Verde where only 
€1 million out of an allocation of €4.1 million has been committed i.e. contracted for 
works, supplies, service and grant contr acts. The execution of the contracts as 
represented by payments on these contract s, amounting to €776 000, is satisfactory. A 
substantial part of the SFA funds for Cape Verde will remain undisbursed as the validity 
of the individual projects financed has expi red. The Commission is actively assisting the 
Government to speed up the implementation of the remaining programmes and expects full utilisation of the SFA funds allocated from 2005 to 2008. 
Table 4: Financial Status per Country
Allocations (€) Commitments (€) Payments (€) RAC (€) RAC % RAL (€) RAL %
Belize 27.719.000,00 21.749.415,38 15.959.198,62 5.969.584,62 22% 11.759.801,38 42%
Jamaica 42.625.000,00 34.656.171,84 27.664.349,83 7.968.828,16 19% 14.960.650,17 35%
Dominica 52.503.000,00 39.472.434,09 22.441.384,45 13.030.565,91 25% 30.061.615,55 57%
St Lucia 71.623.000,00 50.239.673,65 33.004.820,80 21.383.326,35 30% 38.618.179,20 54%St Vincent 51.093.000,00 41.290.569,20 23.600.296,00 9.802.430,80 19% 27.492.704,00 54%Grenada 5.500.000,00 3.887.119,97 3.224.044,47 1.612.880,03 29% 2.275.955,53 41%Suriname 21.767.000,00 16.315.936,67 12.176.565,69 5.451.063,33 25% 9.590.434,31 44%Sub-total Caribbean 272.830.000,00 207.611.320,80 138.070.659,86 65.218.679,20 23,9% 134.759.340,14 49,4%
Cameroon 47.277.000,00 35.349.181,62 29.869.122,30 11.927.818,38 25% 17.407.877,70 37%
Ivory Coast 34.546.000,00 22.655.888,96 15.333.367,71 11.890.111,04 34% 19.212.632,29 56%Somalia 13.698.000,00 12.350.524,26 9.301.680,17 1.347.475,74 10% 4.396.319,83 32%Cape Verde 4.100.000,00 1.053.727,00 776.332,15 3.046.273,00 74% 3.323.667,85 81%Madagascar 3.500.000,00 2.000.000,00 1.800.000,00 1.500.000,00 43% 1.700.000,00 49%
Sub-total Africa 103.121.000,00 73.409.321,84 57.080.502,33 29.711.678,16 28,8% 46.040.497,67 44,6%
GRAND TOTAL 375.951.000,00 281.020.642,64 195.151.162,19 94.930.357,36 25,3% 180.799.837,81 48,1%
 
The SFA funds for Somalia are all allocated for diversification and are all disbursed 
through grant contracts via NGOs still operati ng in Somalia. Agricultural development 
through small-scale irrigation along the Djouba and Chebele rivers is the main activity 
supported by the SFA programmes. Using gran t contracts, normally one contract per 
allocation year, accounts for the relatively low uncontracted (reste a contracter RAC1) 
and not disbursed (reste a liquider RAL2) rates for Somalia. 
The relatively fast implementation of the SFA  programmes in Jamaica, as expressed in 
their low RAC and RAL rates, is partially cau sed by the use of SFA funds to replant the 
banana plantations after the hurricanes in 2005, 2007 and 2008. 
                                                 
1 RAC or Remainder to be Contracted indicates the percentage of funds allocated to the project for 
which no works, supply, services or grant contracts or programme estimates, have been signed. 
2 RAL or Remainder to be Liquidated indicates the (percentage of the) funds allocated to the 
programme not yet paid/disbursed. This includes the Remainder to be Paid (RAP) on existing implementation contracts. 
 
 8 Programme implementation in Cote d'Ivoire has been partially disrupted and therefore 
delayed by the political unrest and problematic s ecurity situation; especially for the SFA 
funds allocated in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007 (the  Financing Agreement for 2008 is not 
yet signed). Payments are particularly affected, leading to an above average RAL rate. 
 
9 tonnes 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total 3.612.000 3.414.000 3.810.000 3.954. 000 3.902.000 3.796.000 3.931.000 4. 070.000 3.973.000 4.073.000 4.69 8.618 4.606.497 4.376.578 5.018 .004 5.230.958 5.419.581
Total EU, incl 642.000 585.000 657.000 685.000 811.000 785.000 730. 000 782.000 768.000 791.000 755.000 750.000 648.000 642.000 552.000 568.000
Total dollar, incl. 2.220.000 2.102.000 2.387.000 2.466.000 2.395.000 2. 393.000 2.520.000 2.528.000 2.475. 000 2.555.000 3.142.618 3.071.497 2.964.578 3.485.004 3.841.908 3.933.075
Total ACP, incl. 750.000 727.000 766.000 803.000 696.000 618.000 681.000 760.000 730.000 727. 000 801.000 785.000 764.000 891.000 837.050 918.50 6
Cameroon 147.000 158.000 165.000 167.000 157.000 116.000 161.000 206.000 215.455 229.913 298.492 261.232 252.912 252.702 221.918 279.530
Cote d'Ivoi r161.000 149.000 160.000 181.000 166.000 158.000 192.000 200. 000 216.699 210.788 207.420 210.760 183.752 221.791 189.840 216.583
Dom. Rep. 62.000 86.000 75.000 61.000 49.000 56.000 42.000 60 .000 85.886 97.331 111.948 101.337 144.683 176.757 206.164 170.464
Belize 39.000 47.000 41.000 54.000 53.000 53.000 56.000 68. 000 51.609 38.178 73.806 80.292 74.189 73.207 61.175 82.146
Suriname 28.000 33.000 28.000 26.000 29.000 21.000 39.000 34.000 28.720 7.000 0 19.000 35.258 45.119 54.342 65.812
Ghana 0 0 2.000 3.000 3.000 4.000 3.000 3.000 3. 000 3.000 1.000 2.000 4.000 22.000 33.404 45.951
St. Lucia 113.000 92.000 101.000 107.000 71.000 70.000 66.000 73.000 34.727 49.313 32.520 42.872 28.243 36.726 30.456 38.512
Dominica 53.000 43.000 33.000 39.000 35.000 27.000 28.000 28.000 17.516 17.000 10.000 12.000 12.000 13.000 7.291 10.281
St. Vincent 58.000 32.000 48.000 44.000 30.000 39.000 38.000 43 .000 30.829 32.520 20.911 23.962 15.000 17.000 13.792 8.975
Jamaica 77.000 76.000 84.000 89.000 77.000 62.000 52.000 41 .000 42.958 40.600 41.755 28.660 12.000 31.863 18.371 0
others 12.000 11.000 29.000 32.000 26.000 12.000 4. 000 4.000 2.601 1.357 3.148 2.885 1.963 835 297 252
Note: From 1995 - 2002, EU-15 / From 2003 - 2005, EU-25/ Since 2006, EU-27/ Source Eurostat/CIRAD (Fr)Annex 4: Banana - European Union Imports
 
10  
5. Recommendations and actions taken by SFA Beneficiary Countries 
Country Strategic 2006 Recommendations and Actions Taken 
Belize Recommendations : 1) identify a specific strategy for addressing 
diversification and rural development; 2) scale economies such as the consolidation of key logistical activities such as joint procurement of inputs, should be adopted by growers; 3) assistance 
should be provided on the social si de – to workers - not just to 
competitiveness issues; 4) implementation of SFA programmes should be accelerated; 5) assistance should be balanced between competitiveness and diversification. Actions taken
: specific strategies are now in place for addressing 
rural development priorities and some balance is being achieved between competitiveness and diversification. However, growers are still ambivalent about scale economy strategies although recent studies (e.g. on production cost reduction strategies) have 
confirmed and quantified the potential benefits of such actions.
3  
Cameroon Recommendations : 1) Increase productivity; 2) privatise CDC; 3) 
address cash flow issues relati ng to ATF (SFA) payments to 
producer organisations; and 4) design more flexible investment types in ATFs Actions taken
: Increasing productivity has become a strong focus 
of 2006 and 2007 ATFs. The CDC has not been privatised. There 
have been no material changes (as recommended) in ATF modalities 
Cote d'Ivoire Recommendations : 1) carry out feasibility study on CFA region as 
a new export market; 2) accelerate traceability, pre-cooling and certification initiatives; and 3) develop a multi-annual and unified ATF funding system. Actions taken
: study carried out on potential markets in the CFA 
region identified Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso and key factors to be addre ssed: quality standards, packaging, 
and long distance transport.  Traceability, pre-cooling and 
certification initiatives completed. System of ATF funding not changed. 
Dominica Recommendations : 1) develop a long term diversification strategy 
given the low competitiveness levels of Dominica bananas; and 2) improve the rate of processing and disbursement of SFA funds. Actions taken
: SFA assistance now being provided to tourism, 
private sector development a nd specific subsectors through the 
Dominica Export Agency (DEXIA).  The SFA disbursement rate 
has been improving since 2005 with the help of technical expertise to the National Authorising Officer (NAO). 
Jamaica Recommendations : 1) Caribbean countries to exchange lessons 
leaned from their SFA programmes;  2) Jamaica to identify new or 
                                                 
3 Building Capacity to Trade in the EU Market, Phase 5 Report: Summary of Recommendations and 
Proposed Actions, Cardno-Agrisystems Consortium, 2008.  
 
11 Country Strategic 2006 Recommendations and Actions Taken 
alternative markets for bananas e.g. for local and regional 
consumption; 3) focus on the fight  against poverty in rural small-
farmer areas; 4) support income-generating micro projects under the Rural Development Programme; 5) continue to use the (effective) credit and revolving fund system; 6) improve SFA 
processing and rate of funds disbursement. Actions taken
: No progress on Caribbean country collaboration. 
Local market now considered to be the only viable outlet for Jamaica bananas. Support continues for micro projects and the revolving fund. Little progress on improving SFA efficiency. 
Saint Lucia Recommendations : 1) develop an integrated long term 
diversification strategy and 2) improve the rate of processing/disbursement of funds. Actions taken
: SFA assistance now being provided in a more 
focussed way on identifying and supporting viable sectors and business ventures with strong growth potential (e.g. the Sequa 
project and the Agrotourism SFA 2007). SFA disbursement rate improved substantially since 2007, especially with recent help of DFID-funded technical assistance to the NAO between January and December 2008. 
Saint Vincent Recommendations : 1) develop an integrated long term 
diversification strategy; and 2) im prove the rate of processing and 
disbursement of SFA funds. Actions taken
: SFA assistance continued to be channelled to a 
diverse range of activities (public sector support, business gateway, social investment fund, training, institutional support and studies 
etc) but with limited cohesive ness between them. Still, the 
disbursement rate improved substantially in both 2007 and 2008. 
Suriname Recommendations : 1) Caribbean countries to collaborate on SFA 
implementation via exchange of lessons leaned from their SFA 
programmes; 2) use logical fr ameworks as the basis from 
reporting/monitoring implementation; 3) increase productivity and production and 4) privatise the industry Actions taken
: None on the collaboration recommendation. Logical 
frameworks still not being used to improve project management. 
Privatising activities in progress. 
 
 
12 6. IMPACT OF THE SFA  PROGRAMMES PER BENEFICIARY COUNTRY  
Impact on ACP Banana exports to the EU 
The SFA-supported competitiveness programmes have made valuable contributions to 
improving the competitiveness of Belize, Came roon, Cote d’Ivoire and Suriname. While 
eight countries were initially committed to competiveness, those with the stronger 
prospects for survival in an environment of progressive liberalisation of the EU Banana 
Regime have survived. 
All these four countries have been able to maintain or increase the quantities of bananas 
exported to the EU during the period 2006 to 2008. During this the quantity of ACP bananas imported into the EU increased from 891 246 to 918 506 tonnes, amounting to 
18.5% of the total imports in 2006 (EU-25) and to 17.0% of the total imports in 2008 
(EU-27). For Belize the banana export to the EU rose from 73 000 tonnes to 82 146 
tonnes between 2006 and 2008. Banana exports  from Cameroon increased from 253 000 
to 279 530 tonnes in this period while those from  Cote d'Ivoire remained stable with 222 
000 tonnes in 2006 and 216 538 tonnes in 2008. Suriname maintained its growth in banana exports after the restart of its banana industry (following bankruptcy in 2002) in 2003 with 45,000 tonnes exported in 2006 and 65,812 tonnes in 2008. Chart 1 presents 
the export quantities from the ACP exporting c ountries to the EU since the creation of 
the Common Market for Bananas in 1993. This data are also mentioned in Annex 5. 
The quantities of bananas exported by Jamaica were severely influenced by the damage 
caused by hurricanes both in 2007 and 2008. Wh ile replanting was undertaken in 2007 
and exportation restarted, the sole exporti ng company in Jamaica announced that it 
would stop exporting bananas after hurricane Gustav in 2008. The damage caused in 
2008 was extensive and replanting and further re pairs to the existing plantations will be 
scaled to supply the local market. 
 
13 Chart 1; ACP Bananas imported in the EU
0100,000200,000300,000400,000500,000600,000700,000800,000900,0001,000,000
1993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008
Yeartotal ACP bananas exports in tonnes
050,000100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000
Bananas export
 to the EU per country
Total ACP, incl.
Cameroon
Cote d'Ivoire
Dom. Rep.
Belize
Suriname
Ghana
St. Lucia
Dominica
St. Vincent
Jamaica
The initial focus on competitiveness in the Wi ndward Islands was not viable: support in 
that area failed to reduce the competitiveness gap and this (core) strategy was abandoned 
as a major SFA initiative after 2004. Most of  the bananas still exported by the Eastern 
Caribbean countries benefit from "Fair Trade" certification. 
SFA Programme impact in Belize 
In Belize, the nine growers running the s ector’s 20 farms have benefitted from SFA 
investments in irrigation and drainage, replan ting with meristem plants, sigatoka control 
and technical assistance. Exports of Belize bananas increased substantially from 1999 to 
2004. The exported carton boxes and volumes increased by 41%, with 4 364 153 cartons 
exported in the last year. Costs of pr oduction were reduced by 28% between 2000 and 
2004, though high oil prices in 2007-2008 resulted in unit cost increases. Relative FOB 
costs per ton are reported to be €262/tonne euro for Latin America and, on average, 
€560/tonne for ACP countries. Belize’s higher co st of labour and transportation, resulting 
in a per tonne cost of €452, confirms that it is one of the lower-cost ACP countries. 
SFA Programme impact in Cameroon 
The area under banana cultivation totals 7000 hectares. An increase has been announced. 
The means of production have improved due to  producers' investments since the early 
1990s, and then helped by EC financial a nd technical assistance. The updating of 
production facilities is thus practically comple te. The average yield was 35 tonnes per ha. 
in 1994 and has now reached 40 tonnes/ha, va rying from 30 to 48 tonnes/ha depending 
on the location and the investments made. 
 
14 The banana industry in Cameroon generates 11 500 direct jobs and nearly 36 000 indirect 
jobs. Today, banana exports are shared between three companies. The plantations and packing stations have varying standards but  many are inconformity with the various 
standards and certifications introduced si nce 2000, i.e. GlobalGap, ISO 14001 and Tesco 
Nature choice. 
Cameroon is the leading ACP exporter to th e EU, accounting for 30% of Europe's ACP 
banana supply. 
SFA programme impact in Côte d'Ivoire 
Cote d’Ivoire was able to upgrade its production and packaging systems with the help of 
EC funds, mainly for irrigation, drai nage, renovation, plantation management, 
infrastructure, and pack houses. This led to significant yield increases of export fruit, 
from 40 to 44 t/ha on average over the period 2001 to 2007. Together with an increase in 
labour productivity, this led to reductions in unit costs of production of as much as 17 
CFA (Communauté Financière Africaine ) per kilo, bringing the country’s 
competitiveness closer to that of Latin  American producers. Although many of the 
investments were co-funded by the large gr owers, there is no doubt that SFA support 
facilitated these competitiveness gains across the Ivoirian industry, despite the very 
difficult investment and business climate that prevailed from 2003 onwards. 
SFA programme impact in the Eastern Caribbean States 
The Eastern Caribbean States' agricultura l diversification programmes were not 
successful in developing alternatives to banana s. This was due to market and logistical 
constraints, as well as issues of scale, cost and technology. However, under a collaborative agreement with FAO, recent SFAs can be expected to support development of commercial fruit and vegetable production for St Lucia’s domestic and tourist market, possibly including cruise ships, and the rapid expansion in capacity in St Vincent. 
Wider economic diversification approach began to emerge from SFA 2001, seeking 
broad-based economic growth. By 2004, the Eastern Caribbean States had entirely 
changed the focus of SFA from agriculture to economic growth, which by then, was accounting for at least 67% of planned i nvestments. Focal areas are the enabling 
environment for economic development thr ough structural reforms in support of the 
Bretton Woods institutions’ programmes and specific interventions in skills development, tourism (particularly agro a nd eco-tourism), offshore financial institutions, 
enterprise development and ICT, all sectors with higher potential than agriculture. Some 
initiatives, such as the water and sewage sy stems in Dominica or the Western Highway 
in St Vincent, are prerequisites for diversifi cation since these are primarily infrastructure 
and social projects that are expected to enhance the investment environment for diversification over the long term. 
In Dominica, a coordinated effort is being ma de to promote the country in Europe as a 
tourist destination whilst at the same time strengthening the capability of areas where banana production forms an important part of  the rural economy, to develop the tourism 
product and benefit directly from increased tourism earnings. In this regard, implementation of the West Coast Water Suppl y Project over the life time of the SFA is 
an important part of Dominica’s plans to de velop the tourism product, especially in the 
Northeast around Portsmouth which is an important banana growing area. 
 
15 SFA programme impact in Jamaica 
In Jamaica, diversification was not in troduced until SFA 2006, where the focus was on 
agro-processing and diversification into a lternative production such as vegetables, 
poultry and dairy offer viable and sustaina ble income-generating prospects. Later 
initiatives propose: (1) skills development unde r technical and vocational education and 
training; (2) income and employment ge nerating activities based on market-driven 
opportunities along the value chain; and (3) re habilitation of rural infrastructure with 
economic or social benefits in target communities. 
SFA programme impact in Suriname 
Suriname is one of the two Caribbean ACP countries most likely to succeed in expanding 
production and reducing costs to take advantage of new market access following the adoption of the January 2006 revised regime. It  has pursued restructuring of the industry 
with support from the EU since early 2000. Following the collapse of the state-owned 
sole banana producer in 2001, privatisation which is considered to be the key to ensuring the sustainability of the industry, is being pursued through, among other things, 
improving the competitiveness of the new state-owned company. Since 2001, production 
increased to about 20 000 tonnes by 2005 a nd more than doubled in 2006 to 45 146 
tonnes. In 2007, Suriname increased exports  to 54 342 tonnes i.e. by 20.4% and was the 
only traditional ACP exporter to do so that year. The industry also reduced costs by about 31% between 2001 and 2005. Production cost s are now close to those of Costa 
Rica, one of the lower-cost Central Ameri can banana producing countries. This highly 
commendable success is largely attributed  to SFA programmes aimed at improving 
productivity and increasing output. However, Suriname’s viability as a banana producer now rests on the smooth transfer to private commercial operators via completion of the 
transition to private ownership.