Corporación Bananera Nacional (CORBANA) is a non-governmental public institution, established in the year 1971 by the ratification of a law of the Republic of Costa Rica. Its major objective is the development of the banana industry in Costa Rica and to serve the banana producers.

This institution develops research programs aimed at strengthening the quality of banana farming, provides state-of-the-art technology to producers, maintains lines of credit to facilitate the operation and recovery of the plantations struck by natural disasters in the Costa Rican Caribbean, among other commitments to improve the industry.

The Corporación Bananera Nacional Corbana, S.A. (CORBANA) – the national banana corporation – was established in 1971 in Zapote, San Jose, the Republic of Costa Rica (Costa Rica). Partly owned and managed by the banana producers themselves, CORBANA is a public entity organized as a stock company (a business owned by shareholders: farmers, the Government and nationalized banks, in this case) that supports banana growers in Costa Rica.

By developing banana marketing and commercialization strategies, the company has been able to exploit new branding methods and open new markets for the country’s farmers. Moreover, CORBANA carries out research and provides technical advice and support services that have improved producers’ farming skill, enhanced farming practices and developed environmentally friendly agricultural processes. Furthermore, the company acts as a lobbyist on behalf of banana farmers in negotiations with government, fruit vendors and with industry partners in the international community. 

Due in large part to CORBANA’s many activities, the socio-economic status of Costa Rican banana producers is improving, banana yields are increasing and the country’s rich environment and banana growing culture is being sustained.

CORBANA has managed an impressive transformation in banana cultivation in Costa Rica and in the life and prospects of banana producers in the country. In large part due to the company’s efforts, the Central American state ranks third in the world in banana exports and first in the world in terms of productivity per area (averaging around 2,500 boxes per hectare). 

CORBANA was established in order to empower farmers, open market access for their products, and improve their communities and environment. By developing a comprehensive R&D and commercialization strategy, and by relying on IP assets and value-added banana products, the farmer-owned company increased competitiveness, consolidated its market position and entered new commercialization opportunities internationally.

As a result, Costa Rican banana farmers have seen their productivity and incomes rise while their rich natural environment and traditional source of income has been modernized and preserved for future generations. 

Buiness Activities
CORBANA has addressed four main areas:

• CORBANA is the "technical arm" of the Government. CORBANA provides advice to the Government on banana. The company advises the government of the general state of the industry and proposes policies to sustain activity in the long term.
• CORBANA promotes scientific Research. CORBANA has specialists in various fields of agronomy banana dedicated to scientific research, aimed at improving the current agricultural practices and the search for new production. To facilitate research laboratories CORBANA has specialized in each of the areas of interest nematology, biological control, plant pathology, soil chemistry and physiology, among others. CORBANA and their laboratories are part of an international network specialized scientific information shared globally and scientists has agreements with several universities in Europe and the United States.
• CORBANA provides credit for working capital. CORBANA created a fund to provide working capital loans to producers. This credit is offered at competitive rates and is administered by the Corporation itself, which gives the producer great flexibility in access. There are also special credit lines as those for renewal of areas for environmental infrastructure projects or other.
• CORBANA provides market information of the industry. With the help of the information age, CORBANA is aware of the importance that the Banana producers have access to timely, reliable and updated information. Due to this, the Corporation has a database about the banana businesses both domestically and internationally which is updated continuously. The information includes both production in each country, and the marketing of the fruit in different world markets.