Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchell expressed his disappointment at the World Trade Organisation decision about a new tariff by the EU on imported bananas. The WTO backed a claim brought by Latin American countries, who argued the EU tariff would have a "devastating effect" on their economies and exports. Under an EU system set for launch in January 2006, imports faced a tariff of 230 Euros a tonne. The new tariff had aimed to safeguard exports from countries in the African, Caribbean and Pacific group. Most were former colonies and for years their banana crop had received preferential treatment. Prime Minister Mitchell said the decision will seriously disrupt the Windward Islands banana industry. Currently Latin American exports to the EU are limited with the duty per tonne set at 75 Euros for the first 2.7 million tonnes of exports, rising after that to 680 Euros per tonne. Under the new regime, ACP producers would have continued to export bananas duty-free. Reprinted from freshplaza.com