But the global supply chain is threatened by a virulent disease that has been attacking plantations in Australia, south-east Asia and parts of Africa and the Middle East. The fungus known as “fusarium wilt”, or Panama disease, could spread to Latin America, from where the majority of bananas are exported. Now, scientists are scrambling to create a more robust variety that could help sustain the crop.
A single type of banana, called the Cavendish, accounts for 99.9% of bananas traded globally. It replaced a tastier variety wiped out by disease in the 1950s. Now researchers at the Norwich-based start-up Tropic Biosciences are using gene editing techniques to develop a more resilient version of the Cavendish after securing $10 million from investors.
The company’s CEO, Gilad Gershon: “If you look at the broader consumption on top of exports, the banana industry is worth a massive $30 billion a year. However, people have been getting increasingly worried because the plant is heavily cloned so if you have a disease that can kill one tree, it can potentially wipe out the entire industry.”