Islamabad:
Pakistan’s banana harvest has risen to an unprecedented level, more than doubled in 15 years to reach a record 317,000 tonnes by 2024-25, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
Official data available with Wealth Pakistan shows that banana production stood at only 139,000 tonnes in 2010-11, but constantly growth-ice in the last five years has made it into the country’s fastest growing crop. The most dramatic leap came in 2021-22, when production jumped from 142,000 tonnes to 216,000 tonnes, an increase of more than 50 percent in a single year. Output then climbed to 292,000 tonnes in 2022-23, 311,000 tonnes by 2023-24 and touched the preliminary record of 317,000 tonnes this season.
This rapid increase marks an important transformation in fruit breeding as breeders change against bananas due to strong demand and better return compared to traditional crops. Waheed Ahmed, Patron-I-chief of All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetables exporters, importers and Merchants Association, said growth highlights the crop’s export potential.
However, he noted that Pakistan’s share in the global banana trade of $ 14 billion remains negligible with exports worth only $ 27.4 million. He called for the creation of a model with full value chain that covers cultivation, treatment, packaging and distribution to reduce losses after harvest, improve quality and increase the farmer’s income. He also called for a large -scale corporate farms and modern parcel houses to secure bananas with premium quality for international markets.
Junaid Haider Shah, a SINDH-based producer, exporter and processor, highlighted the financial shift driven by new banan varieties. Farmers’ per hectare of large income, former RS150,000 to RS200,000 seven years ago, has now reached almost RS500,000. The new varieties are mushroomsist, have longer shelf life and are far more lucrative than older tribes.
He said bananas are now more profitable than mangoes, with exports rising sharply.
