... AND JAPAN ALSO WANTS OUR OLDEST FRUIT SELLER

London wholesaler Thomas Fyffe shipped his first bananas to England in 1888 after joining forces with a grocer who had links to the Canary Islands

Within five years the firm was so successful it bought land in the Canaries to set up its first plantation

In 1901 the government paid £40,000 a year to run a regular steamer service to Jamaica to import bananas

The company name Fyffes first appeared in 1926, which is when its distinctive blue labels were first used

Fyffes Group became an Irish company in 1986 and listed on the stock market there 20 years later

In 2004, a Fyffes ship carrying 250,000 crates of bananas from Costa Rica saved four Transatlantic rowers after their boat was destroyed

FYFFES has agreed to sell its business to the Japanese for £635m.

The oldest fruit company in the world, which deals in bananas, melons, pineapples and mushrooms, is being bought by Sumitomo, a conglomerate that dominates the Asian banana market. Sumitomo will acquire the fruit distributor for about 189p per share, a 49pc premium to its closing share on Thursday.

London-listed Fyffes has recommended shareholders accept the offer and added that 27pc of them have already backed it.

Shares jumped 44.2pc following the announcement. The firm, which is also listed in Ireland and has its headquarters in Dublin, employs more than 17,000 people worldwide and has an annual turnover of £1bn.

Sumitomo supplies about one in three bananas sold in Japan after first entering the market in the 1960s.

Chairman David McCann said: ‘Our employees, customers, suppliers and joint venture partners will benefit from Fyffes being part of an enlarged group.’

Hirohiko Imura, Sumitomo’s managing executive officer, added: ‘We believe that our offer represents a great reward for Fyffes’ shareholders.’