Banana growers a-peel to Aussies to stock up on nutritious, great value fruit
Bananas are making people healthy and more wealthy as the price of the fruit drops
Banana pancakes, bananas on ice cream, or bananas smashed on toast, anywhere anytime, this is our opportunity. Right now, bananas are cheap and flooding the market.
Australia-wide there is an oversupply of the fruit, leaving cut-price bananas dropping into the shelves of supermarkets.
An inflation-busting solution
Australia’s economic managers are focused on controlling inflation. Yet for clever consumers, there is an inflation-busting solution: cheap-priced bananas.
The price of one lettuce reached $10 not so long ago and this week a kilo of grapes is $14.90 at Coles. Yet for one lonely banana, the cost is around 63 cents.
In an inflationary setting for those shoppers concerned about the rising cost of living, bananas are offering a rare win.
The banana superfood
The glut in the market may encourage gluttony, but can you ever have enough bananas?
The fruit is considered a superfood, full of nutrition and a long-lasting energy snack that is packed with natural carbohydrates, vitamin B6 and potassium and around just 89 calories per piece.
How will this affect farmers?
It’s a win for consumers but spare a moment to consider the plight of producers.
It’s been a long year for farmers, who have struggled with freak storms, floods, the increasing costs of production and supply chain issues.
Across the board producer's profits have been slashed with the rising cost of production, including the skyrocketing prices of fertilisers, and fuel.
It’s left many farmers struggling to make a profit this year.
Australia’s love of bananas
Far North Queensland is the heart of the banana-growing industry. 94% of the crop are produced along the Cassowary Coast, according to Paul Inderbitzin, of Kureen Farming.
In Australia, 400,000 tonnes of bananas were grown in 2021.
It’s no wonder given the fruit is in high demand.
Every month 6.6 million Australian households buy bananas making them one of the most consumed fruits in the country, according to NielsonIQ Data.
In the end, it's a simple equation of 'buy a banana and help a farmer'.