![]() ![]() At least, that’s what banana producers would like consumers to think, says Koeppel. So because of the infrastructure that's been created around the Cavendish, it’s better to invest in the technology to save it, rather than explore or substitute other banana varieties that aren’t affected by Panama disease. You just have to focus on cheap and actually not very good.” “In order to make money, it's like the fast food business model. ![]() ![]() And that's because the banana is so cheap,” Koeppel explains. “The entire banana supply chain - it's almost like a pipe coming from South America to the United States that only fits this one particular kind of banana. “If you buy a banana anywhere in the continental United States, it came from South or Central America, period,” he says.īut more than 1000 breeds of bananas exist, so why concentrate on this one Cavendish variety? That’s all according to Dan Koeppel, author of “ Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World. The fungus that’s hunting the banana is Panama disease (aka Fusarium wilt), and about 10 years ago, it was mostly in Asia, but earlier this year, it made its first appearance in Columbia, where it directly affects the banana supply in the U.S. Cavendish bananas seem to be abundant in grocery stores, but a fungus has been threatening its existence for years, and saving it might become a technological endeavor. ![]()
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