In most African countries, banana production has been consigned to
subsistence production. However, a few countries, especially in
Francophone West Africa, have recognised the commercial importance of
banana, and have used their special relationship with France to export
bananas. This has led to the dualization of the banana sector, with the
traditional system existing side by side with a modern sector geared
towards export trade. This book is one of the few comprehensive studies
that have incorporated both the agronomic and economic aspects of banana
production and marketing in Africa. It looks at all facets of banana
production, from an historical perspective to the various traditional
and modern technologies involved. The marketing aspect covers both the
domestic and international trade, with emphasis on the preferential (ACP
/ DOM Lome Convention) and the open markets of the European Union. The
book is a major contribution to understanding the internationalisation
of the banana trade and to its ever-increasing investment portfolio, as
the backbone of many a developing tropical economy. Although the
emphasis is placed on Cameroon, other relevant African, tropical and
subtropical banana-producing countries are mentioned where necessary,
especially in the export sector where a degree of competition existed.
Further, agricultural practices, soils, meteorological and
climatological characteristics, pests and diseases, personnel and banana
varieties grown, mean that findings in Cameroon are of relevance to
other banana-producing countries, especially in Africa. Meanwhile, other
African and tropical countries still contemplating entry into banana
exports would benefit from the Cameroon experience. The book is of
especial relevance to agronomists, entomologists, economists, farm
managers, government policy makers, large, medium and small scale banana
growers, and students and teachers in universities and schools of
agriculture.
