African Banana Producers Welcome the Positions Taken by the African Union and by the Côte d’Ivoire Minister of Agriculture

Faced with the ceaseless attacks from the Latin-American countries against the preference granted to the ACP banana exporting countries in Europe, the Cameroonian and Côte d’Ivoire producers (ASSOBACAM and OCAB) welcome the positions defended by the African Union at the recent Trade Ministers conference in Addis Ababa (16-20 March 2009) and by the Côte d’Ivoire Minister of Agriculture in his letter of 19 March 2009 to the President of the European Commission.

The African producers, following the example of their colleagues from the Caribbean and their respective States:

- Denounce the overly generous terms of the proposal for a banana tariff cut made recently to the Latin-Americans, which goes well beyond that which was required by the conclusions of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body’s Appeal Judges.

- Are indignant at the European Commission’s manoeuvring for the purpose of extracting itself from the banana file at minimum expense in favour of its interests in the bilateral negotiations in progress with the Latin-American countries, despite the fact that the ACP States had been promised tripartite negotiations.

- Maintain that the ACP States’ proposal made in Geneva on 25 July (cut to €150 per ton in 2009, namely a fall of 15% then further cuts in 2014) remains the only formula allowing the ACP States to continue to export while ensuring MFN producers even wider development within the European market.

- Demand the full and entire integration of a possible banana agreement in the Agriculture Modalities of the Doha Development Round.

- Insist that there is simultaneity between the agreements signed with the Latin- American Countries, the USA and the ACP States,

- Encourage the ACP States to obtain from the European Union a genuine ACP Banana Plan endowed with a sufficient financial allocation for adapting the conditions of ACP production to the successive tariff cuts in order to compensate for their effects.

Accompanying Documents:
Declaration of Addis Ababa on the negotiations with the WTO (Banana Point)
Letter from the Ivory Coast Minister of Agriculture

Contact:
Mr. Anatole EBANDA ALIMA
ASSOBACAM,
Telephone: + 33 1 46 86 10 09 / +33 6 71 81 26 79
E-mail : banacam.assobacam@wanadoo.fr banacam.assobacam@wanadoo.fr

Mr. Mathias N’GOAN
OCAB
Telephone: +33.146.863.576 / Mobile: +33.608.860.079
E-mail : ocab@wanadoo.fr

Remarks for the Press Managers:
ASSOBACAM is Cameroon’s Banana Producers’ Association
OCAB is the Central Organisation of the Côte d’Ivoire Banana and Pineapple exporters-producers.

Publication date: 3/31/2009