A veritable banana republic

Published on 21 July 2010 at 10:14

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“Romania, land of bananas” announces România libera. In the first quarter of this year, exports of bananas (over 1,000 tonnes), citrus fruits, mangoes, pineapples, and coconuts from tropical climes were well in excess of exports of tomatoes, cucumbers and apples. The daily explains that the import-export statistics, which are responsible for the apparent "tropicalisation of the country," highlight Romania’s role as a transport hub for fruit arriving from third countries, along with some little known facts about the export chain: for example, the fact that Romania “imports more bananas from Hungary than it does from Panama.” Most of the fruit re-exported by Romania is destined for markets in other EU countries.

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