Global Market Report: Bananas

The report examines the global banana market, noting that while bananas are the most valuable traded fruit, the sector faces significant challenges including climate change, the Tropical Race 4 fungal disease, and poor farmer livelihoods. It highlights the growth of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs), which accounted for 7% of production in 2016, and identifies opportunities to expand these standards in countries like India, China, and specific LHDCs such as Tanzania and Rwanda to improve environmental and social outcomes.

• Bananas are the most valuable traded fruit globally; in 2017, 22.7 million tonnes were traded with a value of USD 11 billion, and Latin America and the Caribbean produced approximately 80% of these exports.
• The banana sector is threatened by the Tropical Race 4 strain of Fusarium wilt, which targets the Cavendish variety—the most commercialized type accounting for about 47% of global production.
• Banana farmers and workers face severe economic pressure, with workers earning only 5% to 9% of the total banana value while retailers capture 36% to 43%.
• Voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) grew significantly, with VSS-compliant production increasing by 43.11% from 2008 to 2016, representing at least 7% of total production in 2016.
• VSSs can reduce the societal costs of production; for example, the external cost of Fairtrade-produced bananas was estimated at USD 3.70 per box in 2017, compared to USD 6.70 for conventional bananas.
• There is significant potential to expand VSS-compliant production in large producing countries like India, China, Indonesia, Brazil, and the Philippines, as well as in LHDCs such as Tanzania and Rwanda.

APA

Voora, V., Larrea, C., & Bermudez, S. (2020). Global Market Report: Bananas. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ssi-global-market-report-banana.pdf

Chicago

Voora, Vivek, Cristina Larrea, and Steffany Bermudez. Global Market Report: Bananas. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ssi-global-market-report-banana.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Voora |first1=Vivek |last2=Larrea |first2=Cristina |last3=Bermudez |first3=Steffany |title=Global Market Report: Bananas |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ssi-global-market-report-banana.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{voora2020global, author = {Voora, Vivek and Larrea, Cristina and Bermudez, Steffany}, title = {{Global Market Report: Bananas}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ssi-global-market-report-banana.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }