Banana industry
In 2016, world production of bananas and plantains was 148 million tonnes, led by India and China with a combined total (only for bananas) of 28% of global production (table). Other major producers were the Philippines, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Brazil, together accounting for 20% of the world total of bananas and plantains (table).
Banana
A banana is an edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus "Musa". In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguishing them from dessert bananas. The fruit is variable in size, color, and firmness, but is usually elongated and curved, with soft flesh rich in starch covered with a rind, which may be green, yellow, red, purple, or brown when ripe. The fruits grow in clusters hanging from the top of the plant. Almost all modern edible seedless (parthenocarp) bananas come from two wild species – "Musa acuminata" and "Musa balbisiana". The scientific names of most cultivated bananas are "Musa acuminata", "Musa balbisiana", and "Musa" × "paradisiaca" for the hybrid "Musa acuminata" × "M. balbisiana", depending on their genomic constitution. The old scientific name "Musa sapientum" is no longer used.