The future of banana production in the Canary Islands could soon come to an end, as rising transportation costs and an unstable market threaten the viability of its continuation. The local growers association in the islands, Asprocan, issued a stark warning yesterday, after several weeks have seen declining sales and a marked increase in shipping costs.

Approximately 1.6 tons of the fruit have been left to rot as a result of lower than normal demand. This, combined with a thirty percent increase in transportation of the fruit to mainland Spain, is hampering local producers from competing against non EU producers. The recent move to reduce tariffs on bananas being imported from outside the EU is making it almost impossible for Canarian banana producers to survive.