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.

This study aimed to assess the economic-trade sustainability of crab exports from Canada, Vietnam and China by contrasting frozen (HS 030614) and non-frozen (HS 030633) segments in terms of destination diversification and revealed competitiveness. In this study, economic-trade sustainability is interpreted as the structural coherence between destination diversification, revealed competitiveness, and the trade conditions that support export continuity in perishable products. A quantitative, descriptive within-country design was implemented using ITC Trade Map secondary data for 2020–2024. Destination concentration was measured with the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI), competitiveness with symmetric revealed comparative advantage (SRCA), structural orientation with a Relative Specialization Index (RSI), and an integrated positioning matrix combined mean HHI and SRCA with export-weighted centering and confidence intervals. The results indicated persistently high concentration in Canada across both segments, with frozen exports locked into a United States corridor and non-frozen exports becoming increasingly China-dependent. China exhibited moderate concentration and a more regionally dispersed portfolio, alongside stable competitive advantages in several Asian markets, while showing selective disadvantages in some Western destinations. Vietnam displayed the highest structural vulnerability, particularly in the non-frozen segment, with extremely high HHI, abrupt destination shifts and competitiveness confined to a narrow corridor. Overall, preservation-form segmentation shaped distinct risk architectures, and sustainability depended on the joint configuration of diversification and competitive strength.

This study aimed to jointly characterize destination diversification and revealed competitiveness in the international shrimp and prawn trade of Ecuador, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia during 2020–2024. A quantitative, descriptive–comparative approach was applied using annual free-on-board values at the exporter–destination level obtained from Trade Map (International Trade Centre). Destination diversification was proxied by the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index, while market-level competitiveness was measured through the Normalized Revealed Comparative Advantage index. Results show that Ecuador expanded exports while maintaining persistently high destination concentration. India exhibited broad revealed comparative advantage across multiple markets, yet remained highly concentrated, with episodes of deconcentration that were not sustained. Vietnam recorded relative stagnation, moderate concentration, and heterogeneous competitiveness across destinations. Indonesia experienced contraction with extremely high concentration, characterized by a pronounced advantage in the United States alongside disadvantages in alternative markets. Overall, a positive NRCA did not necessarily coincide with a low HHI, and configurations in which revealed advantage is concentrated in a small set of anchor markets are associated with higher exposure and may entail more limited reorientation options under shocks.

This study aimed to jointly characterize destination diversification and revealed competitiveness in the international shrimp and prawn trade of Ecuador, India, Viet Nam, and Indonesia during 2020–2024. A quantitative, descriptive–comparative approach was applied using annual FOB values at the exporter–destination level obtained from Trade Map (ITC). Destination diversification was proxied by the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI), while market-level competitiveness was measured through the Normalized Revealed Comparative Advantage (NRCA). Results show that Ecuador expanded exports while maintaining persistently high destination concentration. India exhibited broad revealed comparative advantage across multiple markets, yet remained highly concentrated, with episodes of deconcentration that were not sustained. Viet Nam recorded relative stagnation, moderate concentration, and heterogeneous competitiveness across destinations. Indonesia experienced contraction with extremely high concentration, characterized by a pronounced advantage in the United States alongside disadvantages in alternative markets. Overall, a positive NRCA did not necessarily imply a low HHI, and vulnerability increased when competitive advantage aligned with a small set of anchor markets, constraining adjustment capacity under shocks. The study recommends institutionalizing integrated HHI–NRCA dashboards, strengthening destination-specific market intelligence and early-warning systems, setting operational deconcentration targets, and implementing differentiated market strategies—consolidating advantages where robust, converting near-neutral positions into sustained advantages, and redesigning entry into unfavorable markets through improvements in quality, traceability, and logistics efficiency.