Bananas might not be thought of as a common EU crop, but banana production supports the livelihoods of many farming families in Member States and new report highlights how important CAP support is for the EU’s banana sector.
Bananas are one of the most important crops in the EU outermost regions where the largest producers are found in Spain (Canary Islands), France (Martinique and Guadeloupe) and Portugal (Madeira and Azores). CAP supports the competitiveness of these EU banana farms and their partners in food value chains through rural development funding and POSEI aid. The name POSEI refers to the French acronym Programme d'Options Spécifiques à l'Éloignement et l'insularité. POSEI uses the European Agricultural Guidance Fund to support specific measures for agriculture in the outermost regions.
Findings from the recent analysis of EU banana production show that the CAP’s funding has had a positive impact on the sector. Other observations note that EU trade policy has been able to achieve a good balance between different objectives by respecting the EU’s international obligations, maintaining a stable relationship with all EU trading partners and meeting the steadily increasing EU consumption.
