National banana companies account for around half of all production for the world market, although the proportion varies from country to country. For example, in Ecuador, almost all production is in the hands of Ecuadorian companies, whilst Costa Rican companies only account for about half of bananas produced in that country. However, in most cases national banana companies export their fruit via one of the big five multinational companies.

When the multinationals source from national producers, it is easier for them to deny responsibility for the conditions which prevail on these plantations. National producers do not have the same access to capital to invest in improvements and depend on the multinationals for the prices they receive for their production.

Apart from Noboa/Bonita, the larger independent national companies include Reybanpac/Favorita in Ecuador, Uniban/Turbana and Banacol in Colombia, Caribana and Grupo Acon in Costa Rica. Jamaican Producers (JP) and the Windward Islands Banana Development and Exporting Company (WIBDECO) are smaller, but remain largely independent of the big five. However, in most cases the national companies have had to link up with the big five when it comes to marketing. For instance, Banacol and JP have had ventures with Del Monte and Dole respectively, whilst Caribana is linked to Chiquita and Grupo Acon mainly sells to Dole.  JP has also recently bought plantations in Honduras.

Uniban, a cooperative of growers in the Uraba region, has made its Turbana brand the fourth biggest in the US market. It also has one of the best records for negotiating collective agreements with the workers. The company also owns plantations in Costa Rica, as does JP.

In general however, trade unions and NGOs in Latin America have regularly reported that wages, labour conditions and environmental management practices are as bad - if not worse - in nationally owned plantations than in their multinationally owned neighbours. But many national owners - including all of these in Panama, Honduras and Guatemala - have little choice but to sell to one or other of the multinationals.

Websites

Ecuador - AEBE (Exporter Association) (available in Spanish only)

Turbana - US Subsidiary of Uniban, Colombia 

Banacol - Colombia and Costa Rica

Colombia - The Colombian Banana Growers' Association: Augura (available in Spanish only)

Jamaica - JP Fruit Distributors

Caribana - Costa Rica