Bananas.org - History of banana cultivation

When I first visited Madeira, Portugal in 2004 I was surprised to discover that bananas were widely grown there as my grandmother never mentioned them and my father never mentioned his parents talking about them. I have since traveled to Madeira many times and have a vacation home there and have visited the BAM banana museum in Lugar de Baixo a few times and understood that bananas have been grown there for 400-500 years. I was wondering more about the spread of spread of banana cultivation so I asked Grok (AI) to give me more information on the history of banana cultivation and thought I'd share with others.

Timeline of Banana Cultivation History

~8000–5000 BCE: Bananas are first domesticated in Southeast Asia, particularly in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Early varieties are Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana hybrids, used for food and fiber.

~2000 BCE: Cultivation spreads to India and the Pacific Islands via Austronesian seafarers.

~400–500 CE: Bananas reach Africa through Madagascar, likely via Austronesian or Indian traders, becoming a staple in East Africa.

15th–16th Century CE: Portuguese explorers introduce bananas to the Canary Islands and West Africa, then to the Americas (e.g., Brazil, Caribbean) during the Age of Exploration. Spanish missionaries further spread them in Latin America.

Early 1800s: Commercial cultivation begins in the Caribbean and Central America, with exports to Europe and North America starting around 1870 via steamships.

Late 19th–20th Century: United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) establishes large plantations in Latin America, leading to the "banana republics" era. The Cavendish variety becomes dominant after 1950s disease outbreaks wipe out Gros Michel.

Present Day: Global production reaches 179 million tonnes (2022), led by India, China, and Ecuador. Bananas are grown in over 135 countries, with major exports from Latin America and Africa.