Science and Medicine

Banana production in Ecuador

Banana production in Ecuador is an important component to the national economy. This country has been a lead banana producer since 1953. The country approximately exports more than 4 million tons of bananas annually. In 2016-2018 Ecuador contributed 36% of the worlds exported bananas. Ecuador is a good place to cultivate bananas due to its warm and wet climate, and abundance of rivers. The country is inexperience at hurricanes or high wind storms which reduces the likelihood of banana crops being destroyed. The provinces of Los Rios and Guayas produce the most bananas out of the country, accounting for 70% of the countries total banana production in 2022. The main commercial banana variety is the Cavendish banana, in the past the dominant variety was the Gros Michel banana, but that variety was retired due to Fusarium wilt disease. Historically large multinational companies have influenced banana production in Latin American countries, however Ecuador remained independent from this influence regarding banana production. The crop is mostly grown on private plantations which sell their crops to national and international companies. Dole Food Company, Chiquita Brands, and Del Monte Fruit are foreign owned multinational companies that export Ecuadorian bananas and do not own any plantations in the country. These foreign companies form contract agreements with local Ecuadorian banana producers.

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See also

• ▸Equine intelligence
• ▸Bauhaus Dessau
• ▸Axolotl

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