The Government of Ecuador evaluates the response it will give to Russia’s request to suspend five banana exporting companiesa request that is given after the Ecuadorian Executive has delivered Russian military equipment to the United States in exchange for new equipment valued at about 200 million dollars.
Saturday, Russia has also completely suspended the import of Ecuadorian carnationswhich will come into force on February 9, a week before Valentine’s Day, which could constitute a hard blow to Ecuadorian flower exporters.
“At this time, meetings are being held at the highest level that allow us to take a position as a country”indicated sources from the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries, one of the departments of the Government of Ecuador involved in this issue together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
The argument used by the Russian phytosanitary inspection agency (Rosseljoznadzor) to temporarily suspend the banana export certificate of these five companies is the alleged presence of humpback flies in various shipments arriving in Russia.
The list of companies involves Agzulasa Cia, Don Carlos Fruit SA, Agroaereo Fruit Export SA, Agricultural Production Association of El Oro (Asoproagroro) and Comercializadora de Banano.
Scrap metal and weapons
The sanction has coincided with the condemnation of the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, María Zajárova, of the decision of the Ecuadorian president, Daniel Noboaof deliver Russian military material to the United States for subsequent forwarding to Ukraine, described as “scrap” by the Ecuadorian president.
«If it were scrap metal, as they call it in Ecuador, it would be difficult for Washington to propose its exchange for modern equipment, certainly for a fairly high amount. Let’s hope that Quito understands it that way.”Zakharova said.
Likewise, he recalled that all partners of the Russian military industry are aware that the contracts establish the obligation to not deliver such equipment to third parties without the consent of Moscow.
“Such a hasty decision was adopted by the Ecuadorian side under serious pressure from interested figures from abroad,” he said.
Noboa assured on January 30 that it was “scrap,” non-operational war material and never “war equipment.”
“Internal armed conflict”
The Government of Ecuador has not detailed what type of material has been part of this delivery, carried out at a time when Noboa has declared the existence of an “internal armed conflict” against organized crime and has received assistance from the United States.
To achieve this cooperation, Last week, a delegation from the US Government led by President Joe Biden’s advisor for the Americas, Christopher Dodd, and the head of the Southern Command, Laura Richardson, visited Ecuador..
Ecuador is the world’s leading banana exporter, with more than 6.5 million tons in 2023, according to statistics from the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE).
Of that volume, Russia constitutes the second destination market for Ecuadorian banana exports with 1.37 million tons in 2023, equivalent to 22.85% of the total, only surpassed by the European Union (EU).
The turnover of banana exports between January and November 2023 amounted to 3,255 million dollars, of which 690 million dollars were for shipments to Russia, which has Ecuador as practically its only external supplier of bananas, representing 98%. of its imports of this fruit. EFE
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