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Markets and Trade

Bananas

The most popular fruit

Bananas are among the most produced, traded and consumed fruits globally. More than 1 000 varieties of bananas exist in the world, and they each provide vital nutrients to populations in producing and importing countries alike. The most traded variety is the Cavendish banana, which accounts for just under half of global production and has an estimated annual production volume of 50 million tonnes. Bananas are particularly significant in some of the least-developed, low-income, food-deficit countries, where they can contribute not only to household food security as a staple but also to income generation as a cash crop.

Current releases
Journal; magazine; bulletin
Banana Market Review 2023
26/08/2024

The Banana Market Review is issued on an annual basis to Members and Observers of the Sub-Group on Bananas of the Intergovernmental Group on Bananas...

Journal; magazine; bulletin
Banana Market Review - Preliminary Results 2023
20/02/2023

The Banana Market Review Preliminary Results are issued on an annual basis to Members and Observers of the Subgroup on Bananas of the Intergovernmental...

Publications
Sustainable management of plastics in the banana industry
04/10/2024

According to FAO’s 2021 report "Assessment of Agricultural Plastics and Their Sustainability: A Call for Action", the use of plastics in agriculture has seen a dramatic increase since the 1950s and is expected to continue rising in the foreseeable future. Bananas, as the most consumed and traded fruit globally, heavily depend on plastic use at virtually every stage of the value chain.

Report of the Fourth Global Conference of the World Banana Forum - FAO headquarters, Rome, Italy, 12-13 March 2024
02/10/2024

The Fourth Global Conference of the World Banana Forum (WBF) took place at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, on 12 and 13 March 2024. Moreover, the following three side-events were held: the Third International Meeting on Gender Equity in the Banana Industry on March 11, the Event on Fusarium Wilt TR4 and the Future of the Banana Industry on 11 March and the Global Conference on Living Wages and Living Income in the Banana Industry on 14 March.

Commodity in focus

World banana trade has recorded comparatively high levels of around 20 million tonnes per annum in recent years. Key drivers of trade include supply growth in both leading and emerging export countries, as well as ample global import demand. However, increasingly erratic and adverse weather conditions, rising costs of production, tight producer margins, and the spread of plant pests and diseases are causing severe concern to the industry.

 

 

Bananas are predominantly produced in Asia, Latin America and Africa. The largest producers for domestic consumption are India and China

 

Banana cultivar diversity comprises dessert types, like the Cavendish banana, and cooking types, like plantains. Some cultivars can have dual uses.

 

Harsh methods are often used to control irrigation and plant diseases in large-scale banana production, and such production methods can carry significant negative repercussions for the environment and the health and safety of workers and local communities.

 

A serious threat to the industry continues to be Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4), a fungal disease affecting banana plants. It is currently confirmed in 21 banana-producing countries. In all reported cases, once a piece of farmland is contaminated with TR4, managing the disease is challenging and costly.

 The global banana value chain is increasingly characterized by the direct downstream activities of large retail chains from the key importing countries. These chains operate independent of traditional fruit companies by sourcing bananas directly from growers and distributors.   

 

 

On average, more than 90 percent of bananas for export originate from Central and South America and the Philippines. The largest importers are the EU, the United States of America, China, the Russian Federation, and Japan. 

 

Banana export earnings help to finance food import bills, supporting the economies of major banana-producing countries.

 

Research in ten banana producing countries found that income from banana farming can account for around three-quarters of the total monthly household income of smallholder farmers. 

 

The effects of global warming are resulting in a higher occurrence of droughts, floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters. These environmental concerns render banana production increasingly difficult, uncertain and costly, and threaten to disrupt global supplies and smallholder livelihoods.