Emergency Support Plan for Small-Scale Banana Producers (2022)

Ecuador's Emergency Support Plan for Small-Scale Banana Producers was announced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) on May 20, 2022, as an extraordinary intervention to support the productive and economic recovery of small-scale banana growers affected by trade disruptions associated with the war between Russia and Ukraine and by damage related to black Sigatoka disease. The intervention initially targeted MAG-registered banana producers cultivating up to ten hectares. Its principal component consisted of financial subsidies for rehabilitating affected plantations, with eligibility and payment amounts determined through technical verification of cultivated areas and eligible plants. Implementation procedures included producer registration, field inspections by MAG and Agrocalidad personnel, technical assessment reports, and coordination with the Comprehensive Agricultural Diversification and Conversion Project (PIDARA) and BanEcuador for subsidy administration. The announcement also contemplated support through agricultural input kits and partially subsidized nutritional and phytosanitary materials. The intervention sought to sustain banana production, reduce losses and support small producers' incomes. MAG documented disbursements and beneficiaries during 2022 and 2023; its 2023 accountability report recorded 2,862 subsidies totaling USD 2,953,588 and covering 10,976.53 hectares. Proposed amendments to executive decrees and broader debt refinancing measures announced in the same context are not treated as regulatory actions automatically implemented by this plan. An official closing date for the intervention has not been confirmed.