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There are many varied historical references to bananas and plantains: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:

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.