Fresh-Market Bananas:
Background Statistics and Information

For current coverage of the fresh-market banana industry, see the ERS newsletter Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook.

Based on the 2002 Census of Agriculture, 88 percent of all the U.S. farms producing bananas on a commercial scale were in Hawaii, with over 90 percent of total production acreage. 

• Banana harvested acreage in Hawaii:
      2005: 980 acres
      2006: 1,000 acres
      2007: 1,000 acres

• Banana average yields per acre in Hawaii:
      2005: 21,300 pounds
      2006: 20,000 pounds
      2007: 21,000 pounds
  
  
• Farm value of fresh-market banana production in Hawaii:
      2005: $9.175 million
      2006: $9.800 million
      2007: $8.820 million
  
  
• Banana production in Hawaii (all destined for fresh market):
      2005: 20.9 million pounds
      2006: 20.0 million pounds
      2007: 20.0 million pounds
  
  
• Season-average grower prices for fresh-market bananas in Hawaii:
      2005: $0.439 per pound
      2006: $0.490 per pound
      2007: $0.420 per pound
  
  
• U.S. banana imports, excluding re-export quantities
      2005: 7.437 billion pounds
      2006: 7.485 billion pounds
      2007: 7.908 billion pounds

• U.S. fresh banana imports (including re-exports), share of top 5 suppliers in 2007
    Guatemala— 2.411 billion pounds (27.3 percent of total)
    Costa Rica— 2.286 billion pounds (25.9 percent)
    Ecuador— 2.048 billion pounds (23.2 percent)
    Honduras— 1.064 billion pounds (12.1 percent)
    Colombia— 0.832 billion pounds (9.4 percent)
  
  
• U.S. fresh banana imports as percent of domestic use:
    2005: 99.7 percent
    2006: 99.7 percent
    2007: 99.7 percent
  
  
• U.S. per capita use of fresh bananas
    2005: 25.1 pounds
    2006: 25.0 pounds
    2007: 26.2 pounds
  
  
• U.S. retail price for bananas:
    2005: $0.49 per pound
    2006: $0.50 per pound
    2007: $0.51 per pound