Why is the market called "broken"?

Because farm-gate prices have been below production cost for months and only the extra grade is holding on, often at a loss, per eldiario.es.

How much does the grower get per kilo?

In week 31/2026 the extra grade was around 0.36–0.37 EUR/kg at the farm gate, per MAPA data cited in the media.

Does POSEI aid cover the losses?

It cushions but is not enough: added to the price, income is about 0.68 EUR/kg, below the 0.70–0.80 EUR/kg cost.

What role does the imported "banana" play?

It competes on the mainland and gained volume in 2025 (+4.62%, to 322m kg), per sector figures.

What is ASPROCAN doing?

It met on 7 August without exceptional measures and deferred decisions until around September, according to eldiario.es.

CANARY ISLANDS · AGRICULTURE

Plátano de Canarias: the market is still broken, only extra quality survives

The Plátano de Canarias, the archipelago's most iconic fruit and a product with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), is going through a hard summer. According to eldiario.es (Canariasahora), the market remains "broken", and only the extra grade is holding on — often at a loss.

12 August 2026 · By Julia Roca Bethencourt · 5 min · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Jarek Prokop, CC BY 3.0 (Symbolbild).

The main outlet is mainland Spain, which absorbs around 90 percent of annual output, per sector figures cited by eldiario.es. That market is described as saturated, with farm-gate prices below cost for much of 2026.

What is happening

In week 31 of 2026, the farm-gate price for the extra grade was around 0.36–0.37 euros per kilo, according to Spanish Agriculture Ministry (MAPA) data cited by moncloa.com and eldiario.es. Production costs, per the same sources, run between 0.70 and 0.80 euros per kilo.

On those numbers, even the top category sells below cost. The lower grades (primera and segunda) find almost no buyers and, according to eldiario.es, generate net losses. Hence the talk of a "broken" market in which only the extra grade "survives" — frequently, too, at a loss.

Why prices are collapsing

The diagnosis relayed by the media points to an oversupply of fruit combined with falling demand from end consumers. Added to this is competition from the "banana" — the imported, mostly Latin American banana — which in 2025 grew, per sector data, by 4.62 percent to 322 million kilos.

Summer makes it worse: open-air cultivation surges with the heat, so supply peaks just as consumption dips. To avoid destroying surpluses, part of the crop is held back on the farms, which cuts weekly shipments.

Prices, costs and POSEI aid

The sector receives EU support through the POSEI programme, put at around 0.32 euros per kilo for the 2025–2027 period, according to eldiario.es and moncloa.com. Even adding that aid to the farm-gate price, income comes to about 0.68 euros per kilo — still below the estimated cost.

moncloa.com puts the EU's annual transfers to the sector at 141.1 million euros. The aid cushions the blow but does not, on its own, close the gap between price and cost in the summer weeks.

Growers, the rural economy and ASPROCAN's role

The crop supports more than 7,100 growers and some 5,000 direct jobs, per sector figures circulated by outlets such as aenverde.es. It is a pillar of the Canary rural economy, above all on La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

ASPROCAN, the association grouping the six producer organisations, met with its commercial commission on 7 August without adopting exceptional measures, according to eldiario.es, and put off decisions pending a possible improvement around mid-September. The sector also recalls the impact of the 2021 La Palma eruption, after which ASPROCAN created a special "Plátano de Canarias del Volcán" label.

What it means for the PGI — and what comes next

Plátano de Canarias output closed 2025 at 374.6 million kilos — 12 percent below 2024 and one of the lowest figures in 25 years, per aenverde.es. Even so, the sector generated, according to that source, more than 468 million euros for the islands.

The 2026 campaign has strung together losses since late 2025. The near future depends on consumption reviving on the mainland and supply rebalancing; so far, neither the sector nor ASPROCAN has announced a concrete fix beyond hoping for a seasonal recovery.

How to spot it: The Plátano de Canarias carries a PGI and is usually recognisable by its label and the dark speckles on the skin. It is not the same as the imported "banana". Buying the PGI product is a direct way to support local growers.

Worth noting: The prices quoted are weekly, per grade (the 0.36–0.37 EUR/kg is for the extra quality in week 31 of 2026). They can vary from week to week and are not the final consumer price. The figures come from MAPA and sector data relayed by the outlets cited.

Key facts & figures

EUR 0.36–0.37/kg: farm-gate price for extra grade, week 31/2026 (MAPA, via moncloa.com and eldiario.es)
EUR 0.70–0.80/kg: estimated production cost (eldiario.es, moncloa.com)
~EUR 0.32/kg: POSEI aid 2025–2027; EUR 141.1m in annual EU transfers to the sector (moncloa.com)
~90%: share of output shipped to the mainland (eldiario.es)
374.6m kg: 2025 output, 12% below 2024 (aenverde.es)
7,100+ growers and ~5,000 direct jobs (aenverde.es)

FAQ

Why is the market called "broken"?: Because farm-gate prices have been below production cost for months and only the extra grade is holding on, often at a loss, per eldiario.es.
How much does the grower get per kilo?: In week 31/2026 the extra grade was around 0.36–0.37 EUR/kg at the farm gate, per MAPA data cited in the media.
Does POSEI aid cover the losses?: It cushions but is not enough: added to the price, income is about 0.68 EUR/kg, below the 0.70–0.80 EUR/kg cost.
What role does the imported "banana" play?: It competes on the mainland and gained volume in 2025 (+4.62%, to 322m kg), per sector figures.
What is ASPROCAN doing?: It met on 7 August without exceptional measures and deferred decisions until around September, according to eldiario.es.

Read on

CITA News on WhatsAppFollow the channel and keep up with the islands.Follow