Growth in banana acreage
 

There are 2.8 million more inhabitants of the USA each year and we have an annual consumption of about 27 lbs per capita, so where are the extra 75.6 million lbs of bananas going to come from? Are there an extra 2000 acres coming into production every year, if so where are they?

Re: Growth in banana acreage
 

Between 500 and 1000 new hectares (so that's 1235 to 2471 acres) come online each year in Ecuador, normally in "fallowed" rice-production areas. Other "banana republics" have similar growth, especially Colombia and Honduras.

Re: Growth in banana acreage
 

Wow that is a lot of new acreage, is it all planted from corms or has tissue culture taken hold?

Re: Growth in banana acreage
 

Corm division, mostly. Dole is starting to TC, but that takes a great deal longer.

You should recall, too, that 1000 hectares of established Gran Nains yeilds about 2000 hectares worth of pups, as well as what is needed to maintain the original 1000 ha, if they're divided correctly.

Re: Growth in banana acreage
 

So, if I understand it correctly. Ecuadorians and other banana republic countries' inhabitants deforest our rainforests to establish more plantains for newly born USA children?
Sweet. ;)

To shed light in this matter:
http://www.bananas.org/f2/propagatio...ting-8556.html

Btw. I was joking. I know that there's no way how anyone can be forced to substitute rainforests with agricultural areas. ;)

Re: Growth in banana acreage
 

Well the land that was used to grow rice has to go somewhere else. It certainly would be nice if that grower in latin america could get a bigger share of the $28/case that we end up paying retail here in the USA.