Bananas - Global Trade in a Commodity

• Bananas are the 4th most important food product in LDCs and are a staple food for 400 million people.
• Globally, Bananas are the 5th most traded agricultural commodity.
• In 2013, 16.5 million tonnes of bananas were exported.

  • Primarily from Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Bananas are grown in predominantly in hot, rainy lowlands of tropical regions.
• Patterns of Production - Global Production:

  • 120 million tonnes of Bananas were grown in 2019
• Patterns of Production - Producers:

  • The top 4 producers of bananas are also the 4 largest consumers.
  • India, China, Indonesia, Brazil.
  • With the exception of the Philippines, the main regions that produce bananas commercially for export are Latin America & The Caribbean.
• Patterns of Production - Producers (ACP Group):

  • Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
  • Mainly small and medium-sized producers, and the so-called ‘dollar producers’ of Latin America controlled by large US TNCs.
• Patterns of Distribution - Top 6 Exporters:

  • Ecuador - 6.6 million tonnes.
  • Philippines - 2.9 million tonnes
  • Colombia - 2.6 million tonnes
  • Costa Rica - 2.4 million tonnes
  • Guatemala - 2.1 million tonnes
  • Netherlands - 1.7 million tonnes
• Patterns of Production - Glasshouse Bananas/Re-export:

  • Netherlands, Belgium & Germany appear in lists of top banana exporters.
  • Although they have started growing Glasshouse Bananas, the figures come from bananas which are imported and then re-exported.
• Patterns of Distribution - Top 6 Importers:

  • USA - 3.6 million tonnes
  • Russia - 1.5 billion tonnes
  • Belgium - 1.4 billion tonnes
  • Germany - 1.4 billion tonnes
  • UK - 1.2 billion tonnes
  • China - 1.0 billion tonnes
• Patterns of Consumption - Top 6 Consumers:

  • India - 27.5 million tonnes
  • China - 13.2 million tonnes
  • Brazil - 6.7 million tonnes
  • Philippines - 6.5 million tonnes
  • Indonesia - 5.3 million tonnes
  • USA - 3.6 million tonnes
• Patterns of Distribution - Key Distribution Routes:

  • Central & South America to EU & USA
  • South America to Russia
  • Philippines to Arabian Peninsula & East Asia
• Unequal power relations:

  • The banana trade reinforces the core-periphery theory because the Less Developed Countries are producing and exporting crops (bananas) that they produce, to More Economically Developed Countries.