World banana production

Bananas account for 70 million tonnes (68%) of this total, the remainder being plantains.

The biggest producer of bananas is India with 16.8 million tonnes. Other countries producing over 5 million tonnes per annum are Brazil, China, Ecuador and Philippines. Average yields of banana worldwide are around 16t/ha, but under more intensive production regimes, the best growers can achieve 100t/ha (add FAO statistics here, graph). Most plantains are produced in African and Latin American countries for home consumption.

Uganda, Colombia, Ghana, Rwanda and Nigeria are the largest producers, with average yields of 1.5t/ha. Average per capita consumption varies considerably between regions. In Eastern Africa, annual consumption of plantains is around 250kg/person. In the UK and USA, per capita consumption of banana is around 13kg/person, while in China, consumption is less than 2kg per person. 

Local consumption accounts for 90% of production of all bananas and plantains. Around 80% of all exported bananas come from Latin America, with the biggest exporters being Ecuador, Costa Rica and Colombia. North America, Europe, Japan and Eastern European countries are the main destinations.