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In the European Union, the main banana producing areas are: Banana production in metric tonnes (thousands)
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| 2004 | Spain (Canary Islands)* | 398 | 418 | Martinique** | 271 | 246 | Guadeloupe** | 88 | 59 | Portugal (Madeira and the Azores) | 22 | 21 | Greece (Crete) | 3 | 3 | Total world exports | 11,922 | 12,839 |
Source: FAO Banana Statistics 2005 report *The Canaries, located off the North West coast of Africa, are an autonomously-governed region within Spain. **Martinique and Guadeloupe, located next to the Windward Islands in the West Indies, are both part of French territory.Administratively they are both overseas departments. The European banana producing territories are still very dependent on banana production and trade.Costs of production of bananas within the EU are still 2 - 3 times higher than in Latin America.Productivity is much less than on the dollar plantations - 80% of European banana plantations are less than 5 hectares with yields reaching 30 tonnes per hectare.However, because of the European banana import regime, and subsidies available to European farmers, the farmers are able to survive. The bananas produced in the European Union are sold entirely within its borders. European producers have a big advantage over other banana producers because they belong to the European Union.The EU is a union of 15 rich countries that can afford to help their producers and subsidise their production.European producers benefit from different types of aid including set aside, and financial and technical assistance.Working conditions are good - they are subject to the employment and minimum wage laws prevailing in the EU. Website Caribbean Martinique Bananas
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