Background

The banana is the most widely consumed fruit in the European Union (EU). The Member States of the Union provided stable markets for bananas from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and Latin America for many years. Bananas are an important export product for a number of small Caribbean countries which are members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). They are one of the three primary export crops in Jamaica, the others being sugar and coffee. Currently, the banana is Jamaica's third most important export crop.

For Jamaica, bananas have been one of the major export crops since 1869 following their introduction as part of the ongoing effort to diversify the economy out of its dependence on sugar production. Banana cultivation was dominated by small farmers as it required little investment outlay and generated a steady income, thus contributing to poverty alleviation. Owen Jefferson in his book The Post-War Development of Jamaica points out that by 1890, bananas had replaced sugar as the leading export crop and in 1930 accounted for 57 per cent of total exports from Jamaica. Jefferson also points out that banana production collapsed in the 1940s due to the ravages of Panama disease which cannot be treated. Exports were also severely restricted during the Second World War due to the lack of shipping capacity. Thereafter, bananas never regained the position as Jamaica's major export crop although production levels rose significantly during the 1950s and '60s.