Fyffes Urges Banana Pricing Action Amid Unsustainable Costs

Fyffes is calling for greater collaboration across the global banana industry, warning that rising costs throughout the supply chain are making the current model increasingly unsustainable and placing long-term development at risk.

One of Europe’s largest banana and pineapple importers is urging the sector to develop a long-term sustainable model that ensures growers, producers, importers, and retailers can continue investing in the future of the category.

Banana growers worldwide and other supply chain partners are facing “unprecedented pressure”, Fyffes said, as costs mount for labour, fertilisers, crop protection products, packaging, energy, and transportation.

Climate-related disruption, plant disease pressure, and increasingly complex logistics are adding further strain.

These combined pressures are making it more challenging and more expensive to maintain reliable production and consistent fruit quality, according to Fyffes. 

Meanwhile, retail banana prices have not kept pace with the underlying cost of producing and delivering the fruit, the company lamented. 

This leaves the industry facing a growing challenge over its ability to maintain investment in production and supply chain resilience.

Category Future At Risk

“The banana industry is under very significant pressure,” Frank Burkhardt, Chief Commercial Officer at Fyffes, stated in a press release.

“Costs have increased across virtually every part of the supply chain, from farm inputs and labour to logistics and transportation. Yet bananas continue to be sold at prices that often do not reflect the reality of what it costs to grow and deliver them responsibly. For many years, the industry has absorbed those increases. That is no longer sustainable.”

Fyffes said bananas remain one of the most affordable products in supermarkets, and their production supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across Latin America and other producing regions. 

However, the company argued that maintaining affordability for consumers while addressing increasing production costs and sustainability requirements will require greater cooperation across the value chain.

Fyffes said the industry is being asked to invest simultaneously in climate resilience, responsible farming, worker welfare, community development, and supply chain improvements, but that such investment depends on economically viable farms and supply chains.

“Sustainability has environmental, social and economic dimensions,” Burkhardt explained.

“The industry is rightly being asked to invest more in climate adaptation, responsible farming and the wellbeing of workers and communities. But those investments depend on economically viable farms and supply chains. If growers and producers cannot achieve sustainable returns, the long-term future of the category is put at risk.”

Call For Pricing Discussion

Fyffes said closer cooperation between growers, producers, importers, and retailers is needed to address the pressures facing the sector, with pricing forming part of the discussion.

“This is a shared responsibility,” Burkhardt added. “Growers, producers, importers and retailers need to work together to develop a long-term sustainable plan for the category. That discussion must include banana pricing. If we want growers to continue investing in their farms, workers and communities, and if we want consumers to continue enjoying reliable access to high-quality bananas, the value chain needs to recognise the real cost of producing and delivering the fruit.”

Despite the cost pressures, Fyffes said it is continuing to invest in supply resilience and category development.

Its sourcing strategy spans ten origins worldwide and is supported by an integrated logistics network and long-standing strategic partnerships, which the company said help to reduce exposure to localised disruption and maintain continuity of supply.

Fyffes is also continuing to invest in sustainability initiatives, including its recently announced ambition to source 30% of its produce from regenerative agriculture systems by 2035.

The group said such investments are important to building a more resilient tropical fruit sector, but added that continued progress will depend on the economic sustainability of the supply chain.

Fyffes plans to use its participation at Fruit Attraction 2026 to discuss the challenges facing the banana and pineapple sectors with customers and industry partners, including what action is needed to secure their long-term future.

“Bananas have been available and affordable for so long that it is easy to underestimate the investment, expertise and complexity required to bring them from farms to supermarket shelves,” Burkhardt said.

Fyffes has supplied tropical produce to consumers around the world for over 135 years.