More Bananas

I was looking at some of my earlier posts on bananas and I realized that I don’t have any research on the banana industry as a whole, so I guess this one will be dedicated to that. Bananas are originally native to southeast Asia and Australia. Bananas are grown in 107 countries. They have the best results growing between the latitudes of 30 N 30 S where it maintains a constant temperature of 80 F. Bananas are considered a major staple to many developing countries. Most of the production around the world is by small farmers who sell their bananas at the local market. The leading banana producers include India, Brazil, and China with Costa Rica coming in 7th.

When I was at Chiquita I did notice the serious amount of drainage systems around the banana plant. They ranged from 5 to 10 feet deep. I think this is because the banana plant needs a lot of water but when there is too much water the plant can die.
One thing that I have noticed since I have been down here is the banana leaf and how it’s used for cooking. There have been many entrees and side dishes that have been served on banana leafs. I think this is a fairly smart idea to utilize all parts of the banana tree.

When I was preparing to come to Costa Rica I was thinking I was going to see many more banana plants. It really wasn’t until the trip to the Caribbean until I saw my first banana tree. I was also expecting to have bananas apart of my diet in Costa Rica. I don’t think that I have eaten a single banana since I have been down here.

Overall my perception of the banana industry is that it is very unsustainable. But I do think companies like Chiquita are recognizing some of these problems and they are moving in the right direct. When I return to Costa Rica in the future I hope this problem is solved for the sake of the environment, because I could not imagine the world without the beautiful country of Costa Rica.