CASTRIES, St. Lucia (CMC):

Government, through its Banana Emergency Recovery Unit (BERU), says St. Lucia's banana industry showed signs of a gradual comeback during 2006.

Managing Director of BERU, Hilary LaForce, says production for 2006 was better than that of the previous year.

"Up to week 50 in 2006, St. Lucia had exported to the United Kingdom 32,000 tonnes, which was 2,000 tonnes more than that of last year, and in terms of revenue for 2005, for the tonnes exported we were able to obtain somewhere in the region of EC$41 million (US$15 million).