Bananas are among the most produced, traded and consumed fruits globally. More than 1,000 varieties of bananas exist in the world, which provide vital nutrients to populations in producing and importing countries alike. The most traded variety is the Cavendish banana, which accounts for just under half of global production at an estimated annual production volume of 50 million tonnes.
Banana Statistical Compendium
The Banana Statistical Compendium is issued on an annual basis to Members and Observers of the Sub-Group on Bananas of the Intergovernmental Group on Bananas and Tropical Fruits.
It is prepared by the Team on Responsible Global Value Chains, Markets and Trade Division, Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, and the tables contained bring together the information available to FAO, supplemented
by data obtained from other sources in particular with regard to preliminary estimates.
Bananas are particularly significant in some of the least developed and low-income, food-deficit countries, where they can contribute not only to household food security as a staple but also to income generation as a cash crop.
The world banana trade has expanded to unprecedented heights in recent years, with an estimated export volume of 21 million tonnes in 2019. Key drivers of trade include abundant supply growth in the leading export countries of Ecuador and the Philippines, and a significant increase in import demand, particularly by China and the European Union (EU).
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Source: fao.org