The EU's Banana Market and Value Chains: Analysis of the commercial practices and their consequences on the living conditions of banana farmers and workers in Ecuador and Colombia
Author
Danes, Gabriela
Term
4. term
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-07-10
Pages
82
Abstract
This thesis examines the EU banana market and associated value chains, with a focus on how commercial practices shape the living and working conditions of banana farmers and workers in Ecuador and Colombia. Bananas are labor- and pesticide-intensive and a key cash crop in many developing countries; the EU is the world’s largest importer, and Ecuador and Colombia are among its main suppliers. Historically, a few multinational firms (including Del Monte, Fyffes, Dole and Chiquita) dominated the trade, but recent analyses show a shift toward retailer-driven chains in Europe, including direct sourcing and strong price influence by supermarkets, notably in markets such as Germany. The study seeks to identify the main actors governing EU banana value chains, map their business practices (including potential unfair trading practices), and assess implications for workers and small producers in the EU’s two principal supplier countries. It focuses on conventional bananas and employs the Global Value Chain framework, Labour Process Theory, and the concept of market power; the research includes a systematic review of the EU market since 2005 and two country case studies (Ecuador and Colombia) with particular attention to German retail price trends. The excerpt does not present empirical findings, but the thesis aims to clarify links between retailer market power, price formation, and social impacts such as wage pressure, job insecurity, discrimination, and exposure to hazardous agro-chemicals documented in prior studies.
Dette speciale undersøger EU’s bananmarked og tilhørende værdikæder med fokus på, hvordan kommercielle praksisser påvirker leve- og arbejdsvilkår for bananbønder og -arbejdere i Ecuador og Colombia. Bananer er en arbejdskraft- og pesticidintensiv afgrøde og en central indtægtskilde i mange udviklingslande; EU er verdens største importør, og Ecuador og Colombia er blandt de vigtigste leverandører. Historisk har få multinationale selskaber (bl.a. Del Monte, Fyffes, Dole og Chiquita) domineret handlen, men nyere analyser viser et skifte mod detailkæders (supermarkeders) voksende styring af værdikæderne i Europa, herunder direkte sourcing og stærk prisindflydelse, især i markeder som Tyskland. Specialet søger at identificere de hovedaktører, der kontrollerer EU’s bananværdikæder, kortlægge deres handelspraksisser (herunder potentielle urimelige handelspraksisser) og vurdere konsekvenserne for arbejdere og småproducenter i de to største leverandørlande til EU. Analysen er afgrænset til konventionelle bananer og trækker på Global Value Chain-tilgangen, Arbejdsproces-teori og begrebet markedsmagt; den omfatter en systematisk gennemgang af EU’s marked siden 2005 og to casestudier (Ecuador og Colombia) med særlig opmærksomhed på tyske detailpris-tendenser. Uddraget præsenterer ikke empiriske resultater, men specialet sigter mod at belyse sammenhænge mellem detailhandlens markedsmagt, prisdannelse og sociale påvirkninger som lønpres, jobusikkerhed, diskrimination og eksponering for farlige pesticider, som tidligere studier har dokumenteret.
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