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The trade agreement opens the door to lower prices
Posted On 28 Oct 2016
After the confirmation that November 11 will be the date to sign an agreement with the European Union, some exporters are prepared to recover the commercial field they claim to have lost in that market. Importers, meanwhile, predict a diversity of products and better prices for the market.
Banana farmers assure that only this year the sector stake in this block fell by 10%, after a decrease of 30 million boxes sold. The reason? High tariffs. “With this agreement, tariffs will drop from 126 to 97 euros per ton, a penny more than what Colombia is paying today. And a penny is nothing compared to the 60 cents we are paying,” says Eduardo Ledesma, president of the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE).
The shrimp sector has similar expectations, that with this treaty will defend with “tooth and nail” the title of the largest supplier of this crustacean with an offer of 250 million pounds per year. If not achieving this, says Jose Antonio Camposano, President of the National Chamber of Aquaculture, it would have meant having to pay a 12% increase in payments.
Within the country, the agreement also promises to improve conditions. Such as finding European spirits that can be purchased at half price or like being able to buy cars up to 35% cheaper within a maximum period of 7 years.
