Banana prices in Spain have soared dramatically due to “bad weather,” with an increase of up to 140% above the five-year average at origin. Consumers are already feeling this cost surge in supermarkets, and producers attribute it to adverse weather conditions. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), the price of bananas at the source in the last week of May was 1.65 Euro/kilo, an increase of 3.8% from the previous week, but a staggering 139.8% rise when considering the average of the last five years.
The Causes: When Weather Impacts Harvests
The president of the Association of Banana Producers of the Canary Islands (Asprocan), José Carlos Rendón, noted that they have been experiencing “production problems” since last December due to “bad weather” such as “strong winds.” This has led to a limited supply of Canarian bananas on the market, causing prices to rise due to higher demand than supply. He hopes this situation will last “as short as possible,” believing it to be feasible as weather conditions have already improved. He is even confident that production increases will “stabilize” by the end of summer, leading to “normalized price levels,” as he told Efeagro.
On the other hand, he admitted that “there is always the fear” that consumers of Canarian bananas might switch to other bananas if the situation of high prices persists. Therefore, this high-price situation is not in their interest, “not even for the producers themselves.” However, he reminded consumers of the strengths of the Canarian banana, which “has no competitor in terms of quality, food safety, or with a much lower carbon footprint than other bananas.” Asprocan hopes “it is understood (…) that we did not seek this to make a profit, but quite the opposite, because it leads to less income for the producer due to lower production volume.”
The Data: A Look at the Numbers
Generally, the trend in banana price development in 2025 is upward. While the price at this time of year ranged from about 1.57 Euro/kilo to 1.65 Euro/kilo, last year at the same period, it was around 1.2 Euro/kilo, according to MAPA data.
Overall, the latest advance published by the Ministry of Agriculture indicates a banana production of 417,596 tons, which is 1% less than the previous campaign but 1% more than the average of the last five campaigns. Regarding foreign trade, the latest cumulative data for the campaign (from January to March 2025) indicates a decrease in banana exports of 26.8% compared to the previous year and 19.3% when considering the average of the last five campaigns. Furthermore, according to the Ministry, the lower supply due to bad weather in these first months has led to a decrease in foreign sales, which account for 23% of the total banana production throughout the campaign. In this context, the lack of domestic supply in these first months of the year has led to an increase in imports, especially from Costa Rica, which accounts for 57% of domestic purchases abroad, and which increased by 29% in these three months compared to the average.
