Production and Distribution

• Banana plantings are in production for many years. The conventional hexagonal plantation design is the industry standard, which contains an average of 1,800 plants - or production units - per hectare. A production unit is defined as containing one main or "mother" plant and one follower or "daughter" plant.



• The normal interval between harvests of mother and daughter plants is 8 to 10 months. Therefore, it is estimated that the continuous production process enables banana plants to yield between 1.2 - 1.5 crops per year.



• Two workers are required to harvest bananas: a "cutter" and a "backer". The cutter cuts down the plant with his machete while the backer waits for the cut stem to settle on a thick cushion on his shoulder. The cutter then chops the stem to enable the daughter plant to take over as the main stalk. The backer carries the fruit and attaches it to a nearby overhead cableway where the stem is transported to the packing shed.



• In the packing shed, the bananas are removed hand by hand by skilled workers. A stem will hold as many as 15 hands, which are then cut into smaller clusters of 4 to 6 fingers.



• Each cluster is washed in large floating tanks of moving fresh water to clean them and remove field heat prior to shipping. Clusters are examined by selectors and quality control personnel for grading and sorting.



• The fruit is then packed for shipping in special 40-pound, corrugated boxes. The bananas are precisely arranged to prevent movement during shipping. Plastic film and paperboard padding are placed between layers to further reduce bruising.



• Banana boxes are loaded into special refrigerated, truckload-sized containers and driven to the port where a container ship will be scheduled to load. Bananas are loaded onto the ship within 24 to 48 hours after their cutting from the plant.



• Because heat and humidity speeds up the process of converting starches into sugars, which ripens the fruit, bananas are carefully maintained at 58 degrees Fahrenheit and the temperature and humidity conditions are monitored throughout the voyage.



• When bananas reach the destination port here in North America, they must be ripened in temperature and humidity controlled rooms before being shipped to retail produce departments for sale to consumers.