Abstract:
In the last fifty years, banana production has become one
of the most important forms of world fruit production. 7ith an
annual production of 4,000,000 tons, it takes first place, in
front of apples and citrus fruit.
In marketing such a large quantity of fruit, a considerable
percentage necessarily remains unsold. This percentage is
particularly high in the producing countries, both on the
farms and at the port of loading.
I The fruit which is imported has to be of a certain standard,
as regards weight, quality and presentation, and must be healthy.
The bananas which do not come up to these standards are
discarded, forming the so-called "wastage". For other reasons,
some fruit, even if it is of the required standard, cannot be
exported (too large a harvest for the banana,-bo a, ts, delay or
non-arrival of the means of transport, or simply over-production).
All these reasons, together with the fact that very often the
quality of the fruit is defective at certain times of the year,
force the producer countries to consider the problem of how to
utilise the non-exported fruit.
