Banana
The Most Commonly Consumed Fruit
Banana
The Most Commonly Consumed Fruit
The Most Commonly Consumed Fruit
Having originated over 10,000 years ago, bananas are known to be a fruit so old they are believed to be referenced in Buddhist scriptures from around 600 BC. Brought to the western world in 327 during his invasion of India by Alexander the Great, bananas became a high demand fruit in the 1830s as one of the main characters in U.S. plantation history across the Caribbean. A quick growing plant, some varieties reach a height of 20-40 feet in less than a year. Within 6-8 months, the banana flower will sprout a single fruiting stem producing as many as 240 bananas.
Bananas are rich in potassium and magnesium and serve up to 10% of the recommended daily potassium intake as well up to 8% of the recommended daily magnesium intake. Both magnesium and potassium are important for heart health: A potassium-rich diet has been known to improve blood pressure, while a magnesium-deficient diet can lead to an increased risk of heart disease.
Bananas are grown from rhizomes, not seeds. Because of this they are propagated clonally and have almost no genetic diversity within each species.
Bananas are a convenient and cost-effective option in many regions. Dehydrated bananas are tasty in a variety of dishes or can stand alone. Dried banana paste, which is prepared from a ripened banana that has been peeled, sorted, trimmed, and dehydrated in tunnel dryers, can be used for snacks, nutrition bars, breakfast meals, and more. Bananas are a good and healthy source of calories and are high in magnesium and potassium — perfect for the health-conscious consumer on-the-go.
This year in particular brought a longer and colder dry spell than usual that has caused banana production to significantly decrease; resulting in reduced banana availability. As such, this caused an unexpected shortage of local produce. The banana industry has also been severely impacted by the tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The cold season impacted the soil health for a number of small-to-medium local farmers as well.
Businesses are facing the challenge of balancing quality and cost as a consequence of rising prices for fresh bananas, reduced standards for exporting leading to less rejections at farms, as well additional pressures from cold weather-induced yield losses. It's expected that better weather conditions will help improve yields within a couple of months, however organic products may take longer to come back into abundance.
