Banana Crisis: World’s Favourite Fruit at Risk from Climate Change

 Study Warns-Up to 60% of Latin America’s banana-growing land may become unviable by 2080

A Global Staple on the Brink

Bananas — a beloved fruit on breakfast tables and in lunchboxes from Colombo to Caracas — may be facing extinction in many parts of the world due to the intensifying climate crisis, a new report has revealed. According to findings published by Christian Aid, nearly 60 per cent of banana-growing regions in Latin America and the Caribbean could become unsuitable for cultivation by 2080 without immediate climate action.

The news is particularly sobering for Sri Lanka and other tropical countries that both consume and produce bananas as part of daily diets and agricultural economies. Banana is not just a household fruit — it is the fourth most important food crop globally, after wheat, rice, and maize, feeding over 400 million people and contributing as much as 27 per cent of daily caloric intake in some regions.

Climate Impacts Are Already Here

Farmers across banana-exporting regions, especially in Central America, are already witnessing the early stages of the crisis. In Guatemala, Aurelia Pop Xo, a long-time banana grower, lamented: “There is no income because we cannot sell anything. In the past there was a prediction that this would happen in the future, but it has come earlier.”

Extreme weather patterns, prolonged droughts, flooding, and rising temperatures are not only damaging crops but are also fueling the spread of banana-devastating diseases like Fusarium Wilt (Tropical Race 4) and Black Leaf Streak. The Cavendish variety — the most exported and consumed banana in the world — is a cloned monoculture, making it especially vulnerable to such widespread threats.

The Sri Lankan Context

While the report primarily focuses on Latin America and the Caribbean — which produce 80 per cent of the world’s banana exports — the threat looms globally. In Sri Lanka, where bananas are deeply integrated into culture, religion, and nutrition, rising temperatures and unpredictable monsoons pose serious risks to local banana cultivations.

Farmers here have long struggled with pests, erratic rainfall, and limited access to disease-resistant plant material. If climate trends worsen and international supply chains are disrupted, local markets could face price hikes, shortages, and increased import dependency.

A Call for Climate Justice and Sustainable Farming

The Christian Aid report does not just outline the risks but issues an urgent call for climate justice. It calls on high-emission countries to cut greenhouse gases, fulfill climate finance promises, and support farmers in vulnerable countries through sustainable solutions.

These include:

Investing in climate-resilient banana varieties

Expanding irrigation systems and agroecological farming

Promoting Fairtrade and organic practices to ensure ethical, chemical-free production

“Banana growers are facing ever more precarious conditions as a consequence of climate change,” said Holly Woodward-Davey of Banana Link. “Without systemic change, we risk witnessing the devastation of the Cavendish banana.”