Bananalândia, a company located in the Boane district of the coastal Mozambican province of Maputo, plans to expand into Middle Eastern markets, which will require production to increase, said the company’s managing director Peter Gows.

The company, which has been operating in Mozambique since 2002, is consolidating its position as a regional banana supplier. South Africa is currently its largest consumer as it buys 4 million boxes (18 kilograms each) per year.

According to Mozambican news agency AIM, the managing director said that entering Middle Eastern markets would only be possible when the company had annual production of 15 million boxes, which would also allow it to move into more Southern African Development Community (SADC) markets.

Gouws also said that the company would, over the next three years, expand its production area by 3,000 hectares, increasing its banana plantation area to 5,000 hectares.

Bananalândia, which ahs estimated annual production of 75,000 tons (around 4.2 million, 18 kilogram, boxes), employs over 2,000 people. (macauhub)