A future for Windward Islands' bananas? Challenge and prospect

This article looks at the controversy over the European Union's New Banana Regime from the perspective of the small countries of the Windward Islands whose economy the industry dominates. It discusses their attempts to increase the industry's competitiveness and the implications this has had for its stability and possible survival. It is particularly interested in the dynamic interplay between the local and international environment, especially in relation to the effect of price fluctuations, arguing that efforts to increase competitiveness have been compromised by lower market prices. It concludes that, rather than increasing the industry's viability certain elements of the restructuring exercise have aggravated fissures in the local industry which potentially threaten its survival, evert in advance of a more open market.