By Alexis Oosthuizen
In February this year, I had the incredible opportunity to travel through Central and South America at the invitation of SHP Group to meet their banana exporter colleagues and provide in-person SHERPA support and training. SHP Group a UK-based supplier of bananas and other tropical fruits, operates Europe’s largest and most technologically advanced solar-powered ripening centres. I was joined by Leigh Spanner, SHP Group’s Sustainability Director, and Ingrid Sanchez, Central and South American Manager and the driving force behind SH Pratt’s sustainability standards.
Our journey began in Costa Rica, where 51,800 hectares of banana plantations thrive within a lush tropical landscape. With its ideal climate, rich soil, and abundant rainfall, Costa Rica was the first Central American country to cultivate bananas, and today, the industry remains vital to the national economy. Thousands of people are employed across banana farming, transportation, and logistics, reinforcing the sector’s socio-economic importance.
Next, we travelled to Colombia, a key exporter of Fairtrade-certified bananas, particularly for British supermarkets. We visited leading exporters that showcased their extensive sustainability initiatives. A clear pattern was evident: while these companies invest significantly in sustainability efforts, many lack structured monitoring, scoring systems, or comprehensive sustainability metrics to track or report progress effectively. This represents an opportunity to further strengthen sustainability strategies by integrating clear measurement and reporting frameworks.
Banana growers face a highly competitive export market, with stringent quality requirements. Retailers demand near-perfect fruit, sometimes specifying particular sizes for niche markets (e.g., small bananas for children’s lunchboxes). One common quality issue is under-peel damage (UPD), often caused by mechanical handling, transport, or storage conditions. High humidity and temperature fluctuations further exacerbate this challenge. SHERPA offers a way to assess and track the effectiveness of best practices in handling and post-harvest care, helping growers mitigate such issues.
Perhaps the most pressing concern shared by all the exporters we met was the spread of Tropical Race 4 (TR4), a strain of the Fusarium fungus that devastates banana plantations. TR4 is a significant threat to global banana production, food security, and livelihoods. To combat this, exporters have implemented full vertical integration, featuring cutting-edge logistics hubs, temperature-controlled shipping, and dedicated Fusarium control centres. Every farm we visited had stringent biosecurity protocols in place to prevent the spread of the disease. While these measures demonstrate the sector’s commitment to safeguarding production, continuous improvement in disease monitoring, soil health management, and regenerative farming practices will be essential for long-term resilience.
A key takeaway from our trip was the remarkable level of sustainability commitment already in place across these regions. Exporters are actively working to reduce their environmental footprint, improve social conditions for workers, and strengthen biosecurity. However, a common challenge remains: translating these efforts in a consistent and comparable way into measurable outcomes. SHERPA provides a structured framework for tracking and improving sustainability performance, helping growers identify key improvement areas and demonstrate commitment and progress to international buyers. By adopting SHERPA, banana exporters can refine their sustainability strategies, enhance resilience against risks like TR4 and climate change, and strengthen their position in global markets.
Our journey concluded in Guatemala, the world’s fourth-largest banana exporter in 2023, following Costa Rica. While Guatemala’s banana industry has a complex history, its future is filled with promise as sustainability and resilience become central to its growth. With increasing consumer and retailer expectations for sustainable produce, banana exporters who embrace data-driven sustainability improvements will be best positioned for the future. Blue North, through SHERPA, is committed to supporting this journey—ensuring that sustainability and commercial success go hand in hand.
