Bananas are also fourth on the world’s list of staple crops and are one of the biggest profit generators for supermarkets, making them vital to the economy and global food security. Bananas are grown in tropical climates all over the world, from Mexico to Brazil, from the Philippines to Madagascar. In most cases, bananas grown for export are grown on large plantations of up to 100 square kilometers. There are more than 300 kinds of bananas.
It takes ten months for a banana plant to grow from a sapling to a fruiting tree[. The fruits are harvested after four to five months, while they are still green, in large clusters weighing up to 80 kg. They are then taken to the packaging location, where they are separated, washed, packaged and boxed. But bananas are a difficult fruit to transport and keep fresh, and the banana industry faces many challenges.
What Are The Major Challenges Currently Facing Firms In The Banana Industry?
- The main environmental concerns arise from the production of bananas for export or large-scale commercial production of bananas for the local market. These include habitat conversion, soil erosion and degradation, pollution from agrochemical use, solid waste and water use.
- When bananas arrive in the destination country, they are artificially ripened in warehouses by spraying a chemical called ethylene at carefully controlled temperatures. All in all, the whole process generates a lot of CO2 emissions and waste.
- Only “perfect” bananas are considered acceptable; any imperfections are discarded. The United Nations Agricultural Organization estimates that 30 to 40 percent of bananas are discarded for appearance alone, resulting in a lot of waste.
How Sustainable Is The Banana Trade?
Bananas are very popular fruits, they are rich in potassium, vitamin B6 and many other vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. In terms of sustainability, bananas have a fairly low environmental impact. Bananas can be added to banana chips, banana powder, banana drinks, etc. These banana substitutes will not only retain the nutritional value of bananas, but also facilitate transportation. It can be seen that bananas have the prospect of sustainable development.
As A Banana Processing Machine Supplier, What Can We Do To Help?
Our company has been supplying banana adding machines and complete banana solutions to customers all over the world for more than ten years. In order to minimize waste, we provide customers with complete banana chips production line, banana production line, drying banana chips solutions and so on.
This can not only help reduce banana waste, but also extend the shelf life of bananas and realize the added value of bananas.