By Aliza Kempner
Your
favorite snack or morning smoothie’s staple ingredient may be in danger.
The
global supply of bananas, the world’s most valuable fruit (with export
figures hitting 16.5 million tons in 2012) is facing two major troubles in its
cultivation. In several countries, the Cavendish, the most popular commercial
variety of bananas, has been damaged by Black Sigatoka, a disease that causes
blackened leaves and has shown resistance to fungicide. Moreover, a
strain of Panama disease called Foc Tropical Race 4 that attacks the Cavendish
may soon hit Central and South America, which produce four-fifths of banana
exports.
The Economist explores the banana industry’s historical response to
similar complications, and sheds light on the race to find a banana
that is both resistant to the two diseases and commercially viable.
