Chandigarh, May 14 — The banana, the world’s most popular fruit and a dietary staple for millions, faces a precarious future as the climate crisis intensifies, warns a new report by Christian Aid, an international development charity. The report calls for urgent global emissions cuts and increased support for banana farmers confronting a changing climate.
Titled “Going Bananas: How Climate Change Threatens the World’s Favourite Fruit”, the report paints a troubling picture: rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and climate-driven pests are shrinking viable banana-growing areas. Latin America and the Caribbean — which together account for 80% of global banana exports — could lose up to 60% of their most suitable cultivation zones by 2080.
A staple under threat
“Bananas are not just a snack — they’re the fourth most important food crop after wheat, rice, and maize,” the report notes. Over 400 million people rely on bananas for 15–27% of their daily caloric intake. The looming threat to this fruit, it adds, is a threat to global food security.
India, the world’s largest banana producer, is not immune. Although it ranks only 12th in exports (worth $2.52 million), bananas are deeply embedded in India’s agricultural and nutritional landscape. The country produced 31.3 million tonnes in 2022 — nearly three times China’s output. Tamil Nadu leads in cultivation area, while Maharashtra has the highest productivity, largely due to Cavendish monoculture and intensive farming techniques.
Despite its dominance in production, most of India’s bananas are consumed domestically, playing a vital role in food, fibre, and rural livelihoods. Varieties range across 20-plus cultivars grown in climates from humid tropics to dry subtropics, occupying around 20% of the country’s cultivated land.
Climate pressure intensifies
But rising climate stress is taking its toll. Erratic monsoon patterns, prolonged droughts, and increased rainfall extremes are disrupting banana cultivation. In Maharashtra — a key exporting state — extreme rain events have tripled since 1950, despite an overall drop in annual rainfall.
A recent study cited in the report projects a significant decline in India’s banana yields by 2050 if adaptation measures are not urgently adopted. “This could devastate farming livelihoods in a country where nearly half the population depends on agriculture,” the report cautions.
The spread of climate-fuelled pests and diseases is another growing threat. Fusarium wilt (Tropical Race 4), banana weevils, and Panama disease are advancing with rising temperatures, capable of decimating entire plantations.
Bananas require stable conditions — a temperature range of 15–35°C and consistent water supply — to thrive. They are particularly sensitive to water stress. Storms not only damage plants but also impair photosynthesis, severely cutting productivity.
Adaptation and responsibility
The report points to solutions such as drip irrigation, climate-resilient crop varieties, and better storage and transport infrastructure. But these require investment and access to resources — something smallholder farmers often lack.
Christian Aid is urging high-emission, wealthier nations to step up, both by reducing emissions and funding adaptation in vulnerable farming communities. “Banana farmers in the Global South have done little to cause the climate crisis but are bearing its brunt,” the charity says.
Consumers too have a role. “Opting for organic bananas helps reduce reliance on chemical inputs and ensures fairer pay for growers,” the report states, adding that sustainable practices could safeguard the banana’s future.
As the climate crisis deepens, the fate of this everyday fruit may serve as a powerful symbol of the urgent need for collective global action.
