Ecuatorian Banana / Banana Equatoriana

Bananas are the staple food of millions of people in several developing countries. In certain tropical countries, green (unripe) bananas are widely used in the same way as potatoes in other countries, and can be fried, boiled, roasted, stewed, etc. In fact, the bananas so used are similar to potatoes, not only in taste and texture, but also in terms of nutritional and caloric composition. In 2005, India led the world production of bananas, representing around 23% of world productivity – the majority of which are destined for domestic consumption. The four countries that export most, however, are Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Philippines, and Colombia, which account for about two-thirds of world exports, each exporting more than one million tonnes. According to FAO statistics, Ecuador alone accounts for more than 30 percent of global exports. Most producers around the world, however, practice low-scale subsistence agriculture – own consumption and sale and local markets. Since bananas are a non-seasonal fruit, they are available throughout the year, so they can be used during the seasons most susceptible to food shortages – times when the product of one harvest has already been consumed while the product of the next has not yet is available. It is for this reason that banana cultivation is of central importance in any sustained system to fight hunger. In recent years, price competition from supermarkets has further reduced the already low profit margins of most banana producers. The main companies in the industry, such as Chiquita, Del Monte, Dole and Fyffes have their own plantations in Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Honduras. Such plantations require large and intensive investment of capital and know-how – making the owners of large, profitable plantations extremely influential in economic and political terms in their countries, to the detriment of small producers. This justifies the fact that they are available as a “fair trade” item in some countries.