New Zealanders are the highest consumers of bananas in the world, eating a whopping 18kg per person each year, with the yellow curvy fruit often the number one item sold in the supermarket each week.
The Cavendish variety is sourced primarily from the Philippines and Ecuador for the New Zealand market and is the only variety consumed globally.
Foodstuffs North Island Head of Meat and Produce, Brigit Corson, said the Kiwi love affair with the banana is due to a few factors, but the key reason being New Zealanders are simply good fruit eaters.
Brigit Corson
“Around forty per cent of Kiwis eat their five plus a day, and bananas would make up a portion of that. They are also portable fruits with other uses, like frozen for smoothies or used in baking when overripe,” said Corson.
“Bananas are cultivated all year round and ripened in New Zealand, so they are typically always in stock. The price for bananas also remains relatively stable, which also helps them remain a popular choice with customers.”
Corson recently visited banana plantations in The Philippines and Ecuador, where Foodstuffs has created enduring partnerships with key producers to ensure that Kiwis continue to have bananas readily available.
For these banana-producing regions, supply to countries like New Zealand creates significant economic and community benefits.
“We’ve seen first-hand the benefits of the fair-trade programme to communities in Ecuador, and Kiwis are supportive of that too, with fair-trade seeing the biggest growth for bananas in our stores.”
Worldwide, the banana market is growing at around three percent per annum, driven by countries like China, the Middle East and Africa, which means securing banana supply remains highly competitive.
In recent years, the fusarium virus originated in Africa and has been impacting Cavendish bananas globally, with many producers now looking at ways to prevent the disease from spreading further.
Growers like Dole in The Philippines have been looking at ways to develop disease resistance in plants and other ways to innovate to keep global supply steady.
Corson concluded that there was plenty to be optimistic about regarding growers mitigating that risk. However, it was something growers were keeping a close eye on, as well as any impacts on supply in the future.
