By Brad Haire
University of Georgia
Georgia is famous for growing sweet peaches and onions. But
farmers could add another sweet crop to the state’s sugary
reputation, says a University of Georgia economist.
Bananas could be a viable alternative crop for Georgia farmers,
says Greg Fonsah, an economist with the UGA College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Bananas are associated with tropical climates. They’re grown in
Georgia mostly as landscape plants that begin to grow in spring
and form big, floppy leaves by summer.
But banana plants don’t do well when the weather turns cool.
Freezing temperatures generally kill the plants back to ground
level before they can make edible bananas.
Some home gardeners take special care of trees during the winter
to produce bunches.
But Georgia has potential, Fonsah said.
“Georgia’s climate is similar to other subtropical countries
like Israel, China and Taiwan,” he said. “These countries
successfully grow and produce bananas. If they can, Georgia can,
too.”
Before joining the UGA Extension Service, Fonsah worked 15 years
in the private sector with banana companies and farmers around
the world in such places as China, Cameroon and Hawaii.
Cold-hardy banana
Fonsah and CAES horticulturists Gerard Krewer and Mark Rieger
are studying 32 banana varieties planted at the UGA Bamboo Farm
and Coastal Gardens in Savannah, Ga.
They’re looking for varieties that will be good landscape plants
for nurseries to sell and for varieties that could possibly
fruit in Georgia’s climate.
Many of the varieties have shown cold-hardiness and have
produced bunches in the field, Rieger said. But it’s going to be
a challenge to find a variety that can consistently take Georgia
winters.
“The challenge will be to find the one that has a short fruiting
cycle of around nine months,” Rieger said, “one that has a
little added cold-hardiness.”
A variety that could take 30-degree (Fahrenheit) nights without
dying could possibly produce bunches in late November or early
December in some parts of Georgia, he said.
This would be a good variety for homeowners or for farmers who
want to grow bananas on a small scale for pick-your-own sites or
roadside stands.
Bananas need a lot of water and a good fertilizer program,
Rieger said. Insects and diseases don’t cause many problems for
bananas in Georgia.
They plan to create annual cropping production guidelines,
Fonsah said. Based on the work at the bamboo farm, the
guidelines will show how best to grow and market bananas in
Georgia.
Ethnic markets
Selling Georgia bananas shouldn’t be a problem, Fonsah said.
Few bananas are grown for food in the continental United States,
he said. But the United States is the world’s largest consumer
of bananas, importing about $1.1 billion of bananas each year.
Most bananas imported into the United States are the Cavendish
variety from Central and South America. It’s the 8- to 10-inch,
bright-yellow banana commonly seen in grocery stores.
This variety is tropical and not cold-hardy. It wouldn’t grow
well in Georgia for fruit, he said.
But Georgia farmers could target a niche market for the non-
Cavendish varieties. They’re generally smaller and used in
ethnic cuisines. Latin, Asian and other ethnic populations are
growing in Georgia and the Southeast, Fonsah said.
“And the demand for niche and ethnic banana markets is rising
exponentially,” he said.
Florida produces about $2.5 million a year in non-Cavendish
bananas for ethnic markets. They sell for $1.29 to $1.79 per
pound in Atlanta, compared to only 48 cents per pound for
Cavendish bananas, Fonsah said.
People already want to know more.
“We’ve received many calls from farmers, nursery growers and
county agents across the state wanting to know more about how to
grow bananas in Georgia,” Fonsah said.
