Banana Production and Growth in Australia (2020)

Introduction

Bananas are primarily grown for commercial purposes in Australia. At the present moment, about 13,000 hectares of bananas are produced throughout the country. Moreover, a well-planned banana plantation needs to adhere to a few requirements. This includes suitable soil types, drainage structures, plant spacings and erosion control. In the earlier years, bananas were marketed in bunches picked straight from the plant. Moreover, the leaves were utilized as padding in order to prevent marks and bruises. Presently, this fruit is mostly sold through wholesale markets all across Australia. A major portion of this fruit is processed into products such as muffins and cakes.

Banana Overview

Banana production mostly occurs in Queensland, located in northern Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Nevertheless, the dried version of this fruit is also traded, though the amount is negligible.

As of June 2020:

1. Over 381,676 tonnes of this fruit was produced.
2. 95% of Australian households purchased it as a part of their grocery haul. Hence, an average of 831 grams was bought per trip.
3. The supply per capita was estimated at 15 kg, based on the volume supplied.
4. The total value of production was $596.2 million. The wholesale supply was estimated at $722.5 million.

Major Banana Production Areas

Some of the major areas where this fruit is produced are Darwin, Lakeland, Bundaberg, Coffs Harbour and Carnarvon. Due to the dynamic nature of this fruit, bananas are highly popular in the country. Since this fruit is easily consumable, it is extremely common in each household.

Main Varieties

Production in Australia is dominated almost entirely by the Cavendish variety. The other main variety in Australia is the Lady Finger.
Cavendish, the typical long curved fruit. Cavendish accounted for 97% of fresh production.
Lady Finger can be described as a shorter and straighter fruit. Lady Finger accounted for 3% of fresh production.