Banana war takes WTO hostage

Banana producing countries of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) block are bent on getting the European Union and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to liberalise conditions and render the international trade in Banana more transparent, reports the Herald Newspaper.
The ACP countries, the paper went further “have emphasised the need for a united front and a common ground at upcoming WTO talks if their voice must be heard and the needed concessions granted them”.
This was the outcome of a two-day meeting that brought together participants from some banana producing ACP countries such as Guadeloupe and Martinique, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The EU and France were also represented.
The meeting which took place in Yaounde – Cameroon, in the presence of the representatives from the EU and France was informed by the failure of the ACP countries to arrive at a consensus and to strike a fair deal in the last inter-ministerial conference of the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland, last July.
“The ACP countries are unanimously opposed to the occupation by the Latin American countries of 80% of EU banana market”, added the Herald.
ACP countries argue that this state of affairs is not only inimical to the banana production of these countries but seriously compromises their chances of socio-economic growth and development, especially as large portions of the rural populations are dependent on the returns from banana production for their livelihoods.
ACP countries are also opposed to a demand by Latin American countries (strongly supported by the USA) for the WTO to press on the EU countries to reduce customs tariffs on their banana exports from 176 euros per ton to 116 euros.
Cameroon’s minister of Trade, who is also spokesperson for the ACP countries on banana trade, was reported to have walked out of the conference to express the ACP disappointment and disapproval of the proposal of the Latin Americans.