Bananas are believed to have originated up to 10,000 years ago and some scientists believe they may have been the world’s first fruit. Banana plants were brought to Australia in the 1800s but were mainly used as decorative plants. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that plantations were established in Northern Queensland.
Tully is the biggest banana growing region in Australia, with other big production areas in Queensland including Innisfail, Silkwood, Mourilyan and Atherton Tablelands. There are two types of bananas commonly grown in Australia; Cavendish and Lady Finger. Cavendish make up 95% of the market, while lady finger bananas are required to meet much stricter standards, therefore less are produced.
From the time of planting, it takes about 12 or so months for a plant to produce its first bunch of bananas. Bunches vary from about 150 to 200 bananas and can weigh up to 50kg! Harvesting the bananas is hard work, requiring about 4-6 fit people who take a tractor between rows looking for mature bunches. Banana bunches are green when harvested and must be handled with extreme care as the fruit tends to bruise very easily. From there, the bunches head to the packing shed where they are broken up and sent to retailers. We recently met with Peter Howe from Rock Ridge Bananas in Mareeba, who told us a little bit more about the planting process for bananas.
“We plant a tissue culture that is grown in a lab, from there it takes about 12-13 months before we pick a bunch off it. Once you pick your first bunch of bananas that tree actually dies, and the sucker [infant banana plant] takes over. From there you will pick a bunch about every 11 months. The trees are hardy but of course plenty can go wrong!“
Aside from being a huge part of Queensland agriculture, bananas are also extremely nutritious! Bananas are part of the fruit group, one of the 5 core food groups recommended for everyday consumption in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Fruits provide vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and many hundreds of phytonutrients. We should be aiming for two serves of fruit every day. Bananas are a great source of carbohydrates, potassium, vitamin B6 and fiber. The healthy carbohydrates found in bananas make them the perfect snack for any time of day.
If you would like to learn more about bananas check out Australian Bananas for heaps of resources. Have some bananas that are turning brown in your fruit bowl? Don’t throw them out! Our Butterbean Banana Brownie is the perfect way to use up overripe bananas.
The QCWA Country Kitchens program is proudly funded by Health and Wellbeing Queensland.
