Description:
Banana
and plantains, which are derived from the wild species Musa
acuminata (AA) and Musa balbisiana (BB), are staple
food crops for millions of people in developing countries.
In terms of gross value of production, bananas and plantains
are the developing world’s fourth most important crop after
rice, wheat and maize. They reach their greatest importance
as a staple food crop in parts of East Africa where annual
consumption is over 200 kg/capita.
There
are many varied historical references to bananas and plantains:
- The
earliest written reference to the banana is in Sanskrit
and dates back to around 500 BC.
- Banana
is mentioned for the first time in history in a Buddhist
text 600 years BC.
- The
existence of an organized banana plantation can be found
in China back in the year 200 AD.
- In
the Middle Ages, both Moslems and Christians thought that
the banana was the forbidden fruit of paradise
- The
word "banana" is derived from the Arabic word
"finger."
- Bananas
are believed to have entered Africa from Malaysia, rather
than from India, by way of Madagascar during the first millennium
AD. The crop then moved eastwards across the Pacific. By
the end of the sixteenth century, bananas had spread widely
throughout the tropics.
Today,
about 90 percent of production takes place on small farms.
The fruit is consumed locally. Only 10 percent, mainly from
commercial plantations in Latin America and the Caribbean,
enters world trade. While Latin America is the world leader
in banana production for export, the African region is the
world’s largest non-export producer and has a strong lead
in output for domestic consumption. High yields based on high
fertilizer inputs characterize the small but highly dynamic
Middle East production, supplemented by imports. Asia and
the Pacific region more than doubled its output over 20 years.
In Africa,
many farmers produce plantains and other types of cooking
bananas, which are more popular than dessert bananas. The
demand for plantains is rising faster than output in Africa
as well as in Latin America.
Statistics:
Production in 2004
World production: 73,175,419 metric tons
Asia: 39,020,688 metric tons
Africa: 7,848,906 metric tons
Area Harvested in 2004
World: 4,468,541 hectares
examples of top producers:
Philippines: 415,427 hectares
India: 680,000 hectares
Indonesia: 314,708 hectares
Ecuador: 226,521 hectares
China: 269,150 hectares
Burundi: 300,000 hectares
Brazil: 491,042 hectares
How Bananas are Used:
Bananas
and plantains are best known as a food crop, although almost
every part of the plant can be used in one way or another.
In India, the banana is popularly known as "Kalpatharu,"
herb with all imaginable uses.
Here are
some of the many ways people use bananas and plantains. Some
farmers feed their animals bananas and plantains. Some people
claim that the peels have medicinal properties. People use
the leaves in a variety of ways: for thatching, wrapping food
during cooking, as bowl covers and as covers for earth ovens
to hold in the heat. A high quality fiber can be extracted
from the leaves and pseudostem and is used in textile manufacture
for making ropes and strings and for the production of various
handicrafts. The fruits are also sold in pulp form, chips,
dried and in confectionery, and are used in some countries
to produce alcohol.
In mixed
farming systems, farmers use bananas as a ground shade and
nurse-crop for shade-loving crops, such as cocoa, coffee,
black pepper and nutmeg.
Nutritional Information:
Rich in
carbohydrates, bananas and plantains are of great nutritional
significance. Bananas and plantains are also high in some
minerals, notably phosphorus, needed for bone development,
calcium, and potassium. They are particularly rich in vitamin
C and contain significant amounts of several other vitamins
such as vitamin A. Bananas do not contain fat and have zero
cholesterol. And since they also offer a low level of sodium,
they are good for salt-free diets. Contrary to popular belief,
bananas are not fattening.
CGIAR
Center’s Work:
The main
challenges to CGIAR research include breeding for resistance
to black Sigatoka disease, Fusarium wilt (Panama disease),
banana nematodes and banana weevil borer, along with the development
of improved production systems. In 1990, the CGIAR decided
to extend its support for banana and plantain research beyond
the humid and subhumid tropics of Sub-Saharan Africa, to include
Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Two CGIAR
centers conduct research on bananas and plantains:
The International Network for the Improvement of Banana and
Plantain (INIBAP) in Montpellier, France, which is a programme
of Bioversity International and the International
Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan,
Nigeria.
Sources:
FAOSTAT. PRODSTAT.
Technical
Advisory Committee: CGIAR Priorities and Strategies
for Resource Allocation during 1998-2000.
April 1997.
Bananas.
INIBAP. 1998.
INIBAP.Annual
Report 1996.
INIBAP
Annual Report 1995.
International
Plant Genetic Resources Institute.
Annual Report 1996.
Evolution
of Crop Plants. N.W. Simmonds. 1976.
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