Banana - A Very Profitable Crop for Subtropical Conditions

Banana - A Very Profitable Crop for Subtropical Conditions

Gübbük, Hamide

Bananas have been cultivated economically for a long time in subtropical regions of Turkey where production and productivity per hectare have significantly increased due to the adoption of protected cultivation. Protected cultivation of banana began in the 1980’s in Anamur and Bozyazi, Mersin. In the 1990s this system became more popular. Today, a similar trend is underway in Mediterranean costal strip. Approximately 4300 ha of banana are grown in Turkey, of which over 2500 ha is grown under protected cultivation. The average yield per ha is about 20-30 tonnes under open-field and 60-70 tones under protected cultivation. In 2008, the total banana production of Turkey was 210.115 tones but domestic consumption of bananas in Turkey exceeds supply and hence bananas are imported. Local importers pay very high custom duties (over 100%) for imported bananas and because of that, banana retail prices remain high which makes local banana production a very profitable enterprise.

Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed

2010-06

550