The origin and development of banana and plantain cultivation

Abstract

Grown almost exclusively in the developing countries of the tropics, bananas and plantains are one of the world’s most important, yet poorly studied crops. Total world production is estimated at over 76 million metric tons (FAO, 1993) of which exports (essentially of Cavendish bananas) to the richer nations represent less than 11 million tons. The rest, over 85% of production, is made up of a wide range of ‘banana’ and ‘plantain’ varieties grown by peasant farmers or smallholders and their families. These are either for consumption by them and their dependants or traded locally. In such informal economies production figures can only be estimates. It is thought that ‘banana’ production is nearly 50 million tons, of which over 40% is in Asia, and ‘plantain’ production nearly 27 million tons, of which over 70% takes place in Africa. To a western consumer a ‘banana’ may only mean a supermarket-bought ‘Cavendish’ dessert banana. However, for millions of people in the world’s poorer regions bananas and plantains are a starchy staple of major (and in parts of Africa paramount) importance.