Bananas

The banana is the edible fruit of the banana tree. It is a longish fruit, with a yellow outer skin that is easily peeled off and the length of the fruit depends on the type of banana, some are longer than others. There are numerous varieties of bananas; cultivated in different parts of the world and the fruit is high in sugar and potassium content.

It is by no means an exotic fruit, it is almost as common as the apple and in certain parts of the world especially in areas close to the equator, the banana tree can grow and thrive in the wild, with almost little or no care and pollination occurs naturally, in most instances without any human intervention, and the seeds of the fruit are often dispersed by animals, usually monkeys, native to equatorial rainforests.

The fruit is grown and cultivated commercially, and as the demand for fresh fruit increases, with more and more people becoming increasingly health conscious, and switching to more agrarian diets, the demand for the fruit is expected to increase, and the price of the average banana per kilo is set to increase accordingly. Regardless, it is still one of the cheapest fruits around; some varieties are cheaper, while others are more costly. The taste of the fruit depends on the variety; some have a more sugary taste while others have a more floury taste.

India is the largest producer of bananas in the world accounting for 26.75% of global production. India is followed by China (mainland) 9.81%, Indonesia 6.29%, Brazil 5.86%, Ecuador 5.51%, Philippines 5.30%, Angola 3.78%, Guatemala 3.41%, Colombia 3.32% and Tanzania 3.06%.

The banana tree is a branchless tree with a thick trunk and broad leaves at the top. The tree grows to an average height of about 5 meters so it is not overly high, but some species do grow up to heights of 7 meters and the flowers and the fruits hang down from stems at the top of the tree. The leaves of the trees are approximately 2.7 cm in length and slightly more than 2 cm in width. 

The banana tree grows best in equatorial climates, i.e. in areas between 10° to 15° north and south of the equator with average rainfalls of 60 mm per year or 2.4 inches with an average high of 30° C or 86° F.

The banana tree can grow in most types of soil and it doesn’t specifically need to grow on flatland, it grows just as well on hilly slopes and mountainous areas. In fact, these are the most common places where banana trees are found in the wild.

The ideal soil for growing banana trees is soil that ranges from PH levels 5.5 to 6.5 i.e. soil that is on the more acidic side of things.

Weeding is not necessarily important and it is common to plant feeder crops or subsidiary crops close to or around banana trees. This type of farming becomes important when there is not much land available to farmers, and farmers need to maximize profits.

It is however essential that the nutrients in the soil are replenished regularly with the use of manure or fertilizers, the former is more preferable than the latter because it is organic, but it is more costly per kilo.

Bananas are rich in vitamins A and C, Folate (a B vitamin) and Choline (an essential nutrient) and rich in the minerals potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium with small quantities of fluoride, selenium and sodium. It is in short a more mineral dense food than a vitamin dense food.

Eating bananas regularly helps protect the body against tissue damage, increases the body’s metabolism i.e. it helps burn fat and helps maintain a healthy nervous system.

 Copyright © 2019 by Dyarne Jessica Ward and Kathiresan Ramachanderam