In this article, we will be taking a look at the 15 biggest banana producers in the world. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the 5 biggest banana producers in the world.
Obesity is one of the biggest issues facing the world today. 13% of adults in the world are currently obese, while nearly 40% are overweight. The impact of obesity cannot be overstated; it is one of the leading causes of deaths in the world, being linked to millions of deaths every single year. Even if it doesn't kill, it can cause various kinds of debilitating illnesses that reduce the quality of life of a person, not to mention the additional cost of healthcare spent on that person. There are various reasons behind this unprecedented growth in rates of obesity: vastly increased consumption of process foods and a much more sedentary lifestyle.
The above shows the importance of a healthy diet, and fruit and vegetables make up a major part of it. While fast food may taste delicious, a large portion of our diet should consist of fruit and vegetables, of which bananas are a very important part. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, bananas are ranked as the leading crop in world agricultural trade and production. Bananas are in quite high demand especially in emerging markets with fast growing populations. However, since the bulk of banana production is conducted by small farmers, it can be hard to estimate the exact production of the fruit. We'll discuss the methodology further later on.
biggest banana producers in the world
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Banana production is estimated to have grown from 69 million tonnes in 2000 - 2002 to 115 million tonnes in 2017 -2019. This is an increase of around 67% in a decade and a half and has resulted in a market value of around $40 billion. The banana export industry itself is estimated to be worth around $13 billion, though only 18% of total production is exported, with the rest being consumed locally due to high demand.
During the pandemic in 2020, even the banana industry was impacted by majorly. Global supply chain disruptions and a rapid decline in economic activity impacted the industry. This was especially pronounced for a type of fruit whose production can be labor intensive, even if perhaps not as labor intensive as other tropical fruit production. Furthermore, it is important to co-ordinate both harvesting and post-harvesting handling as bananas are highly perishable, in addition to cold chains. This was of course seriously impacted the supply chain issues that are still plaguing many countries, resulting in a loss of production. Market closures further created a hindrance to producers attempting to access local and international markets, all of which combined to result in massive wastage of crop, resulting in higher prices for the bananas that did actually make it to the market.
Since banana is a monoculture crop i.e., only one crop can be grown on the field at a time, it requires intensive agroindustrial methods for growth, which have a negative impact on the climate. With climate change being one of the most important considerations of our times, as its devastating effects can already be seen across the world, it is important to try and make improvements wherever possible.
A surprising fact that you may not be aware of is that bananas are the most popular fruit in the United States. Their consumption is greater than both oranges and apples combined. Despite the fact that the United States isn't even in the top 100 countries in banana production, the biggest banana producing companies in the world are from the country. In fact, just five companies are thought to share close to half the market share between them, with three of these companies being from the United States, including Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP). Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc is also among the 10 biggest agriculture companies in the US.
One of the most famous, or infamous, depending on how you look at it, is Chiquita, which has attracted much more than its fair share of controversy. It has been accused of monopolistic practices by the European Commission, while in 1998, the Cincinnati Enquirer conducted an investigation into the company, which led to accusations of mistreatment of workers, pollutions, bribery, contravening foreign law on land ownership and even the allowance of cocaine. However, due to the illegal method of obtaining a lot of the data, the Cincinnati Enquirer had to retract all allegations and even pay out a multi-million-dollar settlement. This wasn't even the worst of it. In the 1990s and 200s, the company along with others, including Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE) (another one of the biggest banana producers in the world) paid millions over a ten-year period to paramilitary organizations with the dealings continuing even after the paramilitary organization was deemed a terrorist organization by the United States government. Chiquita is one of the primary reasons why the term "banana republic" was coined, to describe a country which is politically unstable and dependent on exporting natural resources, which was initially used to describe companies taken advantage of by major U.S. organization.
While we mentioned earlier that it is hard to estimate exact banana production because of small farmers' engagement in the production, but the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United States regularly provides information on its production. While banana production isn't as big in the United States as it is in South America, the vast majority of global production is derived from two major Asian countries. If you want to discover, who they are, read on to find out! We have determined the rankings based on the production by country in 2019 and 2020, with 70% weightage being assigned to the latter. Using multiple criteria allows us to come up with more stable rankings as opposed to using a single year. So, let's take a look at the biggest banana producers in the world, starting with number 15:
15. Kenya
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 1,715,770
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 1,856,659
The weather in Kenya is well-suited to the growth of bananas in the country, including plenty of rainfall, high altitude and moderate temperature.
14. Vietnam
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 2,194,247
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 2,191,379
For Vietnam, bananas are the most important agricultural export product for the company and have been for several years. It is responsible for nearly 1.8% of total banana production globally.
13. Peru
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 2,252,172
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 2,314,514
Peru uses 8,000 hectares of land for banana production, and production has doubled between 2010 to 2015.
12. Costa Rica
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 2,249,400
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 2,528,721
Costa Rica witnessed the highest growth of any country in our list of the biggest banana producers in the world.
11. Mexico
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 2,399,490
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 2,464,171
Bananas are quite popular in Mexico, and so the production of bananas has allowed it to become self-sufficient in the crop.
10. Colombia
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 2,914,419
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 2,434,900
According to BananaLink, Colombia is the fifth largest banana exporter in the world and the banana industry in the country provides employment to more than 150,000 people. The aforementioned Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE) and Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP) are still operational in the country, along with Chiquita.
9. United Republic of Tanzania
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 3,406,936
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 3,419,436
The second biggest banana producer in Africa, Tanzania has over 900,000 farming households which are involved in the banana industry. There are innovations cropping up in the banana production industry in the country.
8. Angola
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 4,036,959
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 4,115,028
Angola is the biggest banana producer in Africa and has registered a more than 2% increase in production from 2019. It has remained the biggest banana producer in the world for six years now.
7. Guatemala
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 4,343,827
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 4,476,680
Over 100,000 hectares of land are used for banana production in Guatemala, one of the biggest banana producers in the world, and the industry is responsible for over 30,000 jobs.
6. Philippines
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 6,049,601
Total banana production in 2019 (in tonnes): 5,955,311
Close to 500,000 hectares of land is used in the Philippines for the production of bananas and growing multiple varieties of the fruit. While it was the 3rd biggest banana producer in the world, it has fallen to 6th position, and saw a decrease of 1.6% in production even when compared to 2019.
