Fuente: Sustainability - Revista científica (MDPI) Sustainability, Vol. 17, Pages 10685: Diversification and Competitiveness of Banana Exports in the Andean Community Countries
Sustainability doi: 10.3390/su172310685
Authors:
Christian David Corrales Otazú
Sarita Jessica Apaza Miranda
Jose Carlos Montes Ninaquispe
Marco Agustín Arbulú Ballesteros
Juana Graciela Palma Vallejo
Francisco Elias Rodriguez Novoa
Carlos José Sandoval Reyes
Ingrid Estefani Sanchez García
Marco Antonio Reyes Aroca
Jorge Enrique Medina Rodriguez

This study asks how diversified and how competitive banana exports from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia were during 2020 to 2024, and what risks arise from their market mix. The original contribution is a two-metric approach that jointly applies the Herfindahl Hirschman Index by destination to measure geographic concentration and the normalized Revealed Comparative Advantage to measure relative competitiveness. Using both indicators together creates a clear and reproducible benchmark for policy and firm decisions. A quantitative and descriptive design was applied to official trade data for HS 0803. Results show that Ecuador combined strong comparative advantage with low concentration, which supports regional leadership. Colombia expanded exports while its concentration rose, a sign of greater exposure despite solid performance in Europe. Peru lost shares and became more dependent on a few outlets, yet kept advantages in organic and niche segments. Bolivia displayed extreme concentration centered on Argentina. Practically, the findings support market diversification, staged entry into new destinations, stronger commercial partnerships, and the integration of sustainability and risk management. Theoretically, the study clarifies that diversification and competitiveness are distinct constructs and that assessing both together with transparent indices improves the diagnosis of resilience.