bananas are grown in at least 107 countries. the banana species growing in the wild have fruits with many hard, large seeds, but almost all bananas grown to be eaten have seedless fruits. bananas are classified either as dessert bananas or as green cooking bananas. almost all export bananas are of the dessert types. only about ten to fifteen percent of all production is for export. dessert bananas change their color and usually turn yellow, when they are ripe; plantains and bananas generally used for cooking stay green. certain bananas have other colors when ripe.