Banana

Abstract

Bananas (Musa spp.), belonging to the family Musaceae, are the perennial monocotyledons commonly grown in the tropics situated at latitude 20° above and below the equator, where there is a wide seasonal variation in rainfall and temperature. According to the FAO in 2004, 98% of world banana production was derived from developing countries, amongst which India, Brazil, China and Ecuador accounted for 50% of the total production (http://faostat.fao.org/default.aspx). It has been estimated that world production of bananas in 2004 was 70.6 million tons and the export value amounted to more than US $4 billion annually. In international trade, bananas account for ~22% of world fresh fruit production and are ranked as the second most important fruit crop after citrus. Bananas can also be socio-politically important as they are the staple food of millions of people in the developing world.