How Bananas are Slowly Going Extinct

Bananas first became popular when Alexander the Great invaded India and found some banana crops. The bananas he found would now be known as plantains, or cooking bananas. Overtime, bananas slowly evolved, creating around 1,000 different species. But one became a fan favorite amongst humans: the Gros Michel.

Up until the 1950s, the Gros Michel was the worlds most popular banana. It had the title of “supermarket banana”. All the banana industries produced this specific banana. Which means it was devastating when the Panama disease the came to be. The Panama disease, also known as Fusarium Wilt, is a fungus that was so contagious and deadly to the Gros Michel bananas, the producers were forced to switch to a different banana to mass produce. The fungus blocks the plants vascular system, blocking movement of water, causing the plant to literally starve to death.

Currently, the new “supermarket banana” is the cavendish banana. Less sweet, less thick, and less plump. Now, the Gros Michel banana still exists, just very few bananas are left as they are only grown commercially in Uganda and Kenya. But this doesn’t mean it all comes to an end. Currently, there is a new outbreak variant of the Panama disease that is killing off our new cavendish bananas. But don’t fret, there is a planned alternative: the baby banana. Different species, nearly the same taste. And so there you have it: the History of Bananas: not as Sweet as it Seems.