Ecuador’s banana trade with the Middle East is difficult to gauge from competing industry data, as AEBE urges deeper ties while another association reports nearly three times as many shipments.
Data from the Association of Banana Commercialization and Exportation of Ecuador (ACORBANEC) show 43.90 million boxes sent to the Middle East from January through August 2026, a 16.65% increase from a year earlier. The count equals 15.55% of the country’s 282.27 million-box total. Turkey led the destinations at 20.74 million boxes, followed by Saudi Arabia at 16.25 million.
The Association of Ecuadorian Banana Exporters (AEBE), by contrast, put the region’s shipments through August at 14.31 million boxes, up 3.55%. Its Oct. 30 release described the Middle East as Ecuador’s third-largest banana market and assigned it a 14% share. That volume is about 5.1% of AEBE’s stated 282 million-box total for January-August 2026. The release did not explain the gap, leaving its shipment and share figures at odds with each other and ACORBANEC’s count.
AEBE put Ecuador’s banana exports during January–August 2026 at 282 million boxes, valued at $3 billion. The association is urging Ecuador to deepen trade ties with Middle Eastern markets. AEBE Executive Director José Antonio Hidalgo said exporters want to reassure buyers that their bananas meet destination-market requirements. The association also called for trade missions involving public and private sector representatives and a stronger presence at regional food and agriculture events.
Ecuador’s government announced a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Arab Emirates on March 1, 2026. The agreement covers more than 4,000 agricultural and industrial products, including bananas among those slated for liberalization. The government said 75% of covered Ecuadorian products would receive zero tariffs once the agreement enters into force; its announcement gave no effective date.
Del Monte previously cited Middle East supply constraints among factors weighing on its banana business.
