Thumbnail Image

Certification in the Value Chain for Fresh Fruits

The Example of banana Industry

Year of publication 2008

Author Trade and Markets Division

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Series title FAO Commodity Studies

Series number 1810-0783

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Certification to voluntary standards is increasingly used by banana producers and exporters worldwide. This report deals with voluntary certification schemes, with a particular focus on those that use an on product label targeting consumers and have the potential to generate a price premium. The report describes the main patterns of international trade in certified bananas. It examines the market situation and prospects of certified organic and fair trade bananas. It reviews the va rious types of benefits and challenges associated with organic and fair trade bananas from the perspective of producing countries. Export prices for certified bananas are analysed and compared to those of conventional fruit for a selection of producing countries. The report analyzes the distribution of prices along selected value chains and seeks to determine whether producing countries reap the full benefits of certified banana exports. It examines the policy implications and su ggests areas for further research and action.

Language English

Also available in:

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • No Thumbnail Available
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    Roots, tubers, plantains and bananas in animal feeding 1992
    Also available in:
    No results found.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    Market structure and efficiency in agricultural value chains: Deep dives in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic 2025
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Hunger and malnutrition remain critical developmental challenges in Central America. Since 2020, rates of moderate and severe food insecurity have risen across the region, while key indicators in early childhood nutrition persist at high levels across both lower- and upper-middle-income states. Rising food prices play a key role in limiting access to healthy and affordable diets for the populations of these countries. In 2022 and 2023, food price inflation reached or exceeded 10 percent in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Across almost all of these countries, white maize prices remain more than 40 percent higher than their levels in 2021, while prices for red and black beans rose by 40 percent to 90 percent over the same period. These price increases have disproportionately affected poorer and rural households. This report represents a context-specific approach to analyzing market structures and dynamics that may contribute to price distortions in two country-commodity pairs in Central America: white maize in El Salvador, and bananas in the Dominican Republic.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.