CSA Canadian Securities Administrators : They will promote the production and export of Turrialba bananas to the Japanese market

• To do so, CATIE and the Japanese company, FRUTIBRIDGE, signed a cooperation agreement

January 15, 2020. On the morning of January 13, in Turrialba, Costa Rica, the Japanese company FRUTIBRIDGE and CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) signed a cooperation agreement for the production and export of high altitude bananas from Turrialba to Japan

The company FRUTIBRIDGE, with more than 20 years of experience in the banana sector, and CATIE will seek to manage the resources to invest in a banana plantation, a packing plant and a fruit collection centre, which would boost the local economy.

'As CATIE we have the social responsibility to seek new options and opportunities for the community of Turrialba, the centre's headquarters. We are interested in diversifying Turrialba's economy with quality and high value products that have a market and that meet environmental and social requirements. Following this alliance, our role as CATIE will be to establish a productive banana farm on our campus, with the aim of creating employment, and to support the small banana producers of the canton with high quality materials and technical assistance to reduce their risks and ensure their production. Our interest is that it be a business that benefits small producers,' said Muhammad Ibrahim, CATIE's director general.

FRUTIBRIDGE has been buying and exporting bananas from small farmers in the area for nearly three years, but after this alliance it is expected that a solid agro-commercial operation will be consolidated. 'We are very excited to be part of a project of this magnitude, we believe that together with CATIE and the local government we will do a good job,' Satoru Aoyama, owner of the FRUTIBRIDGE company.

Luis Estrada, director of operations of FRUTIBRIDGE, said that in Japan the high altitude banana has a niche market of high purchasing power, with a currently unsatisfied demand and that the Turrialba Valley has the ideal conditions for the production of this type of banana.

Additionally, Mainor Valverde, production manager of FRUTIBRIDGE, commented that banana production in the canton will generate an important source of employment.

Gianni Kimura, president of FRUTIBRIDGE in Costa Rica, and Luis Fernando León, mayor of Turrialba, were also present during the signing of the agreement.

On the other hand, within the framework of the agreement, CATIE will also seek to make a contribution in the area of research, together with partner organizations and companies, in relation to the challenges that cultivation has in the future in order to face climate change.

For further information on the possibility of selling bananas to FRUTIBRIDGE, interested producers should contact the company by calling 6096-4809 or writing to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

More information:

Carlos Araya Quintero
Business Development Office
CATIE
Tel. [phone]
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Written by:

Karla Salazar Leiva
Communicator
Information Technology and Communication
CATIE
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